


Little Fang

by clearskiies



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Everyone Is Gay, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, george is a keysmashing gay and insane, i will make as many inbetweeners references and jokes as humanly possible, john is hella mysterious at first but is also cheeky af, paul is kinda an eboy but not Quite, ringo is kinda an old school bro but also loves indie, werewolf!john
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:22:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearskiies/pseuds/clearskiies
Summary: - In which Ringo Starr is an ordinary boy. Goes to ordinary school, with an ordinary life. Ordinary parents, ordinary friends Paul McCartney and George Harrison, along with a pretty large friendship group. Until he meets the strange, elusive John Lennon. Who's also a werewolf. All of a sudden Ringo's life isn't so ordinary anymore. ( Werewolf AU set in modern day ) [ for story purposes, they were all born in the same year in this ]SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE :https://open.spotify.com/playlist/36HChpR0ayi2vN0yc6GzqM?si=7eD8rlD6SqaH0KOUJY-WrQif unable to find search " Little Fang ; " and it's under the name galaxxygbg6
Relationships: George Harrison/Paul McCartney, John Lennon/Ringo Starr, John Lennon/Stuart Sutcliffe, linda eastman/jane asher
Comments: 11
Kudos: 16





	1. ringo and the gang begin the school year

"You better hurry up and catch the bus, Richard!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'-" Worn black and white converse skidded against carpeted floors, wooden drawers being flung open as deft hands rummaged through the miscellaneous items inside. "-where are they?.."  
Searching cerulean eyes raked across the cluttered bedroom, the boy chewing on his bottom lip anxiously; he lit up with interest when he spotted a pair of black ripped jeans lying discarded on the floor, poking out from underneath his bed propped up against the wall. Muted rays of light spilled onto the unmade sheets from the half-open window resting above it, curtains fluttering ever so softly from the outside breeze - a fluffy German Shepherd laid on the bed, watching his owner with a curious, but confused gaze; the boy stroked his head, muttering 'good boy' as he did so, before he knelt down and tugged them out, shoving an impatient hand into the back pockets in his desperate search.

"Aha! Those little fuckers," The young teen yanked out the item he had been so keen to find - a pair of cheap headphones, stained an odd colour and wiring exposed in some areas. His eyes glittered in relief as he pocketed them. Turning to his dog, he kissed him on the forehead and smiled down at him.

"Bye, Charlie. I'll take you fer an extra long walk tonight ta make up for my absence."

Charlie butted his hand appreciatingly and hopped off his bed, tail wagging as he followed his owner out of the room, who had snatched up his school bag on his way out. As he dashed down the narrow hallway to the kitchen, he passed a short, plump woman pulling on her leather coat as she peered at her phone, scrolling through something on it, standing by the kitchen table; she seemed about to head off to work. A lanky man was sitting at said table, biting into some eggs on toast. His father looked up and flashed a thumbs-up in his direction with a smile. Elsie lifted her head to glance at her son.

"See you tonight."

"Bye, mum, dad!" He skidded to a halt at his dog's water and food bowl; filling up a nearby jug, he poured in fresh water and dug some raw meat out of the fridge, mixing in dry pellets to make Charlie's breakfast bowl. The sleek black-and-brown dog circled him impatiently, panting with excitement, wagging tail slapping against his owner's shins.

Chuckling, the azure-eyed boy placed the two bowls on the tiled floor, scratching Charlie's ears comfortingly as the dog tucked into his meal. "Good boy, Charlie."

"Have a good day, Ritchie." His father called after him.

He exited the kitchen and made for the front door; as he did so, he heard Elsie exclaim to his dad "Rich, did you see Denise's new Facebook post with her sister's newborn?". Opening up the front door to leave their modest, cramped house, he felt a muted buzz in his pocket. As he jogged down the concrete steps, the boy fished his phone out and opened it up, taking his headphones out as well. He read the message that appeared with a fond smile.

' THE GAYS except for cyn, pat and mo '

discount nosferatu :  
RINGO get here pattie bought us muffins  
and im gomna eat them all without u

litl smol softi 💕 :  
George don't be mean ☹

discount nosferatu :  
im just warninf him thats all

discount nosferatu :  
warning *

He quickly typed a reply in the Discord group chat, unable to hide his grin as he adjusted his dark red beanie.

whoseis spombgy????>./ :  
im coming dont you dare

OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! :  
hAHA I FORGOT UR NAME WAS THAT

OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! :  
that night was wild

whoseis spombgy????>./ :  
oh and yours is so much better paul????

OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! :  
It wasnt my choice alright 😭  
[ OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! sent an image ]

OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! :It wasnt my choice alright 😭  
[ OOH FOOTBALL FRIEND !!1! sent an image ]

whoseis spombgy????>./ :  
HA knockoff jay

discount nosferatu :  
u better not b calling my bf a knockoff jay📲

discount nosferatu :  
NO i meant 🔪

whoseis spombgy????>./ :  
LOOL anyways see you guys at school 🤡

[ obligatory emo sent an image ]

discount nosferatu :  
BDBHSDKBDS thanks mo

certified 😳👉👈user :  
Also u guys I got something to tell u when we're all here, lets meet up at the front steps

obligatory emo :  
copy that cyn 😎👌

I wonder what she's got to say. Giggling to himself at the meme, Ringo opened up Spotify, scrolling through his songs until he found one he was really itching to listen to. He tried to keep his pace fast as he weaved around other people walking past him on the street, glancing up every now and then to make sure he wouldn't walk into a pole or something - a crisp breeze tickled his cheeks, the sky above blanketed with ivory clouds. Normal weather for a British September.  
"Ah!" He muttered as he spotted it. Plugging in his headphones, he stuck them in his ears and pressed play; the beginning bass chords of Another One Bites The Dust by Queen thumped in his ears as he tucked his phone into his black hoodie pocket, picking up the pace to a tired jog, making his way to the bus stop. He knew Linda and Mo would be probably on the same bus when he got on - Paul, George, and Pattie lived closest to the school and were there already, most likely. Cynthia and Jane lived in different parts of the city and would be coming from other places.

The day started like most days. Ringo had woken up late - a regular occurrence - and gotten ready for the first day of year eleven, deciding on wearing his Gorillaz t-shirt and a black Metallica hoodie over it, worn out blue jeans, dark red beanie and his trusty black and white converse. They still had smudged pen drawings on them from the time him, George, Paul, Linda and Maureen decided to do some weird DIY's on their clothes; most of them ended up looking like shit, but it was still fun. He felt he was a relatively normal person. Lived in a small, old fashioned house that had been renovated to be more modern with his loving parents and an adorable dog; went to a relatively average high school and had a group of friends, a few of them he would consider best friends. Wasn't religious, didn't believe in ghosts or anything supernatural. So what was about to happen in his life would change a few things - to say the least.

"Ringo! Hey." 

He lifted his head when he heard the voice call his name over the music playing in his ears- which had changed to Coconut Ranger by Jack Stauber - and spotted Maureen at the stairs that led up to the second floor of the double-decker, gesturing for him to come over before she disappeared up the stairs. He made his way through the packed bus and ascended the steps to the back seats where her and Linda were sitting, the latter glancing up from her phone and waving at him in welcome with a warm smile.

"Aye, you two. Ready for a new year?" He popped out one earbud and squeezed in a seat next to them after Maureen sat back down. The dark-eyed girl tucked a dyed purple lock of hair behind her ear before sighing in annoyance.

"Not really. 'm so tired today."

"You're always tired." Linda chuckled, leaning her head in her hand. She was an American girl that had come to live in Liverpool with other family two years before then; her accent was still prevalent but had begun to fade and be replaced with the Liverpudlian twang.

"It's still weird to see you with yer new hair!" Ringo gestured to Maureen's newly lavender dyed hair. "Did you end up scrubbing the dye out of the sink when Jane spilt it everywhere?"

"Barely!" The girl snorted. "Ma was so pissed. But it's okay. She owes me, though."

"We probably shouldn't have had drinks while we were dyeing your hair," Linda pointed out.

"Yer right." Ringo laughed, before remembering what Cynthia had texted in the chat, curiosity sparking again. "What'd'ya think Cyn has to tell us?"

"I dunno- I think she mentioned one of her old mates might be coming to our school." Maureen shrugged slightly, peering over Linda's shoulder to look out the window; the bus went over a particularly large bump and Ringo had to hold on to the side of his seat to keep balance.

"We're here." Linda announced, the bus slowly dragging to a halt as they pulled up outside their school.

"Oh, god, kill me now," The other girl groaned. The three friends then bustled their way off the bus, a few other kids getting off with them - they made their way through the open gates, scanning for their friends, who said they would be waiting on the front steps.  
Ringo twirled his headphones idly between his fingers; eventually he spotted their friends, causing him to smile warmly at seeing their faces, the three hurrying over to greet them. Paul, George, Pattie and Jane were sitting on the stone steps - George was hungrily tucking in to a blueberry muffin, wrapping papers littered across his lap, while Paul sat next to him, head resting on his boyfriend's shoulder and an arm wrapped lazily around him. Pattie was holding onto the last stragglers, probably saving them for the rest of the group, and Jane was leaning her head on her hand, watching them with an amused smile; only Cynthia was missing. They were chattering to themselves quietly until they saw the other three, lighting up and waving them over with eager greetings.  
Jane stood up and embraced Linda, the couple sharing a brief kiss before sitting back down, while Maureen impatiently dived for the muffins, taking one and leaving three left.

"Yay! You managed to hold George off and leave some for us!" Ringo exclaimed as they joined their friends, grabbing a muffin for himself and biting into it with a content sigh. "Yer such a queen, Pat."

The sapphire-eyed girl blushed, smiling sweetly with a nonchalant shrug.  
"It's okay. I thought it would be a nice little thing for the first day back to school."

"I forgot me fuckin' books fer maths at home, oh fuck!" Paul groaned, slapping his hand to his face. His school bag lay half open, the raven-haired boy having been looking through it while they were talking. "What am I gonna do?"

"Keep yer hair on, just borrow mine for now!" George snickered. "You always have fits if ye don't have everything ya need or you get a mark that isn't perfect!"

"Shut up, dickhead." He shot a glare the other's way, albeit there was no real anger in his expression. "'m determined to keep up a good reputation so I can get into a good university."

"Wow, having initiative to make sure I go somewhere in life? Couldn't be me." Ringo joked.

"Same," Maureen groaned, digging the heels of her hands into her eyes; they all chuckled amongst themselves for a few seconds before Pattie spoke up again.

"I hope Cynthia won't be too late," her eyes glittered worriedly. "I don't want her getting detention on the first day."

"I'm sure she's fine." Linda shrugged, finishing the last of her muffin.

"Speak of the devil!" Paul exclaimed, pointing to the front gates; there Cynthia was, wearing a pink and black tie-dye hoodie and denim shorts, bleached hair done up in a messy bun with a yellow scrunchie. She bounced up to them excitedly, the group greeting her just as happily as she took the last muffin Pattie offered her with a thanks (George had slumped, disappointed he hadn't been able to snag it).

"Sorry to be late, guys, had a bit of a slip up.. Cassie jumped on me desk and spilt water all over my schoolbooks." She sighed in annoyance. "She was trying to eat my damn breakfast."

"Aw, Cassie is so cute! That sucks, though." Jane furrowed her brows in sympathy. "You can borrow some of my books if you need."

"Thanks, Jane," she sighed in relief.

Ringo couldn't help but chuckle. Cassie was her dog, a Highland Terrier or something.. cute dog, but very eager. Charlie wouldn't even be able to get up on his desk. He was too heavy and would probably crush it due to its weak, spindly legs.

"What've you got to tell us, Cyn?" George spoke up, gazing at her with interest sparking in his eyes. 

"Yeah, tell us!" Pattie raised her brows eagerly - her, George and Jane were often the most gossipy and loved getting involved in or watching drama, and Paul too, though he always tried to be subtle about it. It could be fun, but Ringo was never one to be bothered with it all that much.

"Well-" Cynthia started as the group began to migrate away from the front steps and into the school, keeping tightly clustered together to avoid the rest of the kids bustling around them. "it's not a huge deal, but an old mate of mine's mum died, and he's movin' here to live with his aunt and coming to this school. He hasn't been in school for a year or so 'cause of health issues, so he's probably gonna be nervous. I was thinkin' he could hang out with us so he can feel a bit more at ease."

"Tha's cool with me," Paul shrugged.

"I'm okay with it!" Maureen agreed; the rest of them all nodded as well, looking mildly intrigued at this mysterious friend she was talking about.

"Thanks, guys," Cynthia smiled at them, hazel eyes sparkling gratefully. "I know its a bit to ask." She paused, smiling slyly. "Oh, I forgot to mention.. he's really cute, too. So that's a plus."

"Oh, you got a bit of a crush?" Linda teased.

"Nah," She shook her head. "I'm not into him like that. But- I was just mentionin'.. he's bisexual, too." Her gazed darted to Ringo for a second before she turned back to her phone with a knowing smirk.

His cheeks flamed and he furrowed his brows in embarrassed confusion. What did she mean by that? Does she think I'll like him? I've dated guys before, and I consider myself to be bisexual, but I haven't even met him yet. But it seemed the conversation moved forward before he could get a word out.

"Y'know Stuart Sutcliffe?" Cynthia pulled out her phone, scrolling through it for something.

"The artsy emo kid in our year?" Linda furrowed her brows.

"Yeah. John's been mates with him for a long time, so Stuart might tag along with us a few times."

"I don't like him much," Paul scoffed a little, nose wrinkling in annoyance. "he's a pretentious twat."

"Oh, come off it, Paul!" Ringo nudged his friend with a roll of his eyes, deciding to brush off Cynthia's earlier comment. "He's fine." The doe-eyed boy just shrugged, looking a bit miffed at the idea that the (surprisingly good-looking, Ringo remembered) boy would be joining them a few times at lunch or something. The group was walking through the hallways as they chatted to their section of lockers, which they had changed and swapped over the years so that they would all be close together; he began to fiddle with his lock to get his locker open.

"So will he be here today?" Maureen knelt to the ground and begun to open up her locker that was below George's, the boy standing above her, trying not to accidentally drop his stuff on her head.

"I think so.. he just texted me, actually." The hazel-eyed girl opened up her phone again and read out the text ; "he said I'll be there in five."

"Okay, cool,"

"What classes do you guys have first?" Pattie was peering at a timetable on her own phone before she looked up at her friends curiously.

"I got maths in B3," Ringo rested his maths book and laptop in his arms as he shut his locker door, having gotten everything he needed out; Paul, Jane and Linda had already done the same, while Maureen was still struggling to open her locker, getting the combination wrong every time with a hissed curse. George was still rummaging through his schoolbooks.

"Me too!" Paul smiled.

"Same," Pattie grinned.

"Damnit, I have maths in B1." Jane huffed in annoyance.

"I have it too, babe." Linda entwined their hands, eyes sparkling with affection; this made the fiery haired girl kiss her on the cheek, gazing up at her with admiration. The two had been dating for over a year now, and Ringo thought they were incredibly cute.

"Bleugh! Get a room," George joked, pretending to vomit, making them all chuckle.

"Oh, like you and Paul aren't lovey either?" Jane raised her brows at him, unimpressed but with a hint of amusement in her gaze. Linda threw an arm around her girlfriend's shoulders with a 'she's right' look.

"Shut up," George huffed, rolling his eyes with a grin as they all moved away from the lockers to avoid the other kids.

"You four just remind me that I'm all alone," Ringo groaned.

"Ye got us, Rings!" Paul chuckled, pulling his best friend into a headlock and snatching his beanie, putting it on his own head; Ringo vainly tried to reach for it, laughing to himself with a hint of agitation.

"Give it back!" He whined.

"Not until you admit I'm the best in Among Us."

"No!" He gasped mockingly.

"Yes!" Paul snickered, holding the beanie tightly to his head and dodging out of the way when the azure-eyed boy tried to grab for it again. "It's the truth and you know it."

Ringo glared at him playfully, about to reply, until Cynthia interrupted them, calling out gleefully.

"Hey, there's John now!" The girl separated from the group to go up to someone who had just walked through the door.

Ringo fell silent as he turned to look; when he spotted the person Cynthia was talking to, his eyes widened in shock. Him?

The boy - Ringo would have called him a man in that moment - was wearing large black boots with black jeans that had a few patches sown onto them, with a Nirvana shirt and a large, worn leather jacket over the top that also had a few patches and some badges attached. But immediately he was drawn to his face; auburn locks curled naturally on his head, bushy brows resting above half-lidded almond-shaped eyes, thin-rimmed glasses resting on a Roman nose, chewing anxiously on thin lips. What was really striking about him, though; he had unusually thick and large sideburns. He couldn't see much more from where he was standing, as he was on the other side of the hallway, but from what he saw already he was struck by his handsomeness. Cynthia was right! He's really cute. Shit, what do I do? I gotta act cool.

He quickly snatched back his beanie from an unsuspecting Paul and secured it back on his head, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.

"What the hell? He looks like he's in his third year of uni." George whispered to Paul and Ringo, gazing at Cynthia's friend with wide eyes.

"Yeah. No kid our age could grow such good sideburns like that," Paul itched subconsciously at the side of his face.

"Shut up, they're comin' over," Ringo rolled his eyes, trying to act like they weren't just gossiping as Cynthia brought the boy over.

"John, these are my friends." She gestured to the group with a smile. "They're pretty chill."

"Hey, nice to meet ya. I'm Paul." The raven-haired boy stuck out his hand amicably, though his gaze was assessing as they shook hands. He always was like that when they met new people, Ringo learnt. Him, Paul and George were the original trio and he acted the same way when the rest of their friends slowly joined the group, as if he was checking just from appearance whether or not he would get along with them.

"John Lennon." He responded with a nod, expression reserved and unreadable. Ringo couldn't help but stare, intrigued by his mysterious nature. They all introduced themselves to him one by one until it came to Ringo; he nodded at him and spoke "I'm Ringo." He felt too nervous to do anything else. Usually he was able to be more friendly and open, but for some reason under the intense stare of John he sort of short-circuited. He was staring at him with such an intense, searching look, expression curious and intrigued, that it made his cheeks involuntarily heat up again, heartbeat quickening. What's with him?

"Nice to meet you all," The auburn-haired boy adjusted his glasses and formed a tight-lipped smile. "sorry I'm not so talkative as I usually am, I'm just a bit disoriented right now."  
Oh yeah, his mum died.. shit, that must suck. Ringo blinked sympathetically at him. It must feel so weird that he's living with his aunt now and moving to a new school after not being in any for a year.

"It's okay." Cynthia smiled at him sympathetically. "John is witty as hell when he wants to be."

"Ugh, stop it, Cyn," he rolled his eyes, cracking a more genuine smile then, seemingly becoming a bit more at ease than before. Ringo felt his heart jump erratically in his chest at the sight and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Jesus, he is so cute.

"We better not be any more late than we already are," Linda glanced around them; most of the kids had already disappeared to their classes, only a few people left hanging about. They started to break up into smaller groups - Jane, Linda, and George left to go to their shared class while Maureen and Cynthia went the opposite direction.

"What class do you have first?" Ringo asked John curiously, who was standing about, looking a little confused as everyone started to leave.

"Oh.." He jumped a little, almost surprised that he was still there. He fished out a paper from his pocket and held it up to read it. "Maths in B3."

"Hey, same with me, Paul and Pattie!" He brightened. "Come with us."

"Okay," He shoved his hands back into his pockets, trailing after them as they made their way to class. Paul and Pattie chatted to themselves quietly while the azure-eyed boy snuck looks every now and then at John, otherwise keeping silent. The boy kept jumping at every loud noise; a few kids ran by and their shoes squeaked against the tiled floors; it made him clench his teeth with a quiet pained noise. Ringo's brows furrowed in concern.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" His head swung around to look at him in shock. "Oh- I'm okay. Just.. a headache."

"Alright." He blinked, not wanting to push it further and deciding to just leave it alone. This guy is a bit strange, but nice, I guess.  
Eventually the four found their classroom and slipped inside, managing to be on time enough that their teacher didn't pay much attention to them, except to introduce John to the class (he didn't do much except nod, expression reserved and hidden again just like earlier when the teacher introduced him to everyone before settling himself behind Ringo, who had sat next to his two friends).

Opening up his books, Ringo tried his best to pay attention to whatever their teacher was droning on about, twirling a pencil in his hand as he rested his head in the other. Already he had a strange feeling that he was being watched, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end; he was about to look for the person, until there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was.

John was staring at him intently, pupils strangely small; in this close proximity, Ringo noticed his eyes were a striking bright hazel with a ring of yellow behind his glasses, and he looked down at his hands. The boy's hands had longish black nails that were sharp and thick. They must be fake? He thought to himself. His hands were hairy as well, hairs the same colour of the locks on his head spread out across the back of his hand. Jesus, I wonder how he could be so hairy if he's the same age as us. Maybe it's a genetic thing.

"You got a pencil I can borrow?" He lifted his head to lock eyes with him again. John had quickly retracted his hands under the desk and leant back in his seat so they weren't as close, seemingly alarmed as he stared at the desk. He wondered if he was even imagining it all.

"Yeah.. sure."  
Ringo smiled, deciding to brush it off as he fished in his pencil case to take out a spare grey lead.

"Thanks. 'm infamous back home for never havin' anythin' to write with." The boy adjusted his glasses with a chuckle as he placed it on his desk. Ringo caught a glimpse of bizarrely sharp teeth, making him blink in curiosity. His teeth weren't just like George's, who just had sharper canines than most - it seemed like all of his teeth were sharp, shaped differently than most people had. He blinked in interest. That's so weird! But interesting..

He chuckled, deciding to just go with "I feel that. Just keep it."

"Alright," He seemed to have spotted Ringo looking at his teeth and quickly pressed his lips together, his previous humour dissolving as he leaned away, looking caught off again and slightly embarrassed, even.

I hope I haven't offended him by staring so much, the azure-eyed boy worried with a wince. You fucking idiot, Ringo! He turned back to his desk with an annoyed sigh to himself, opening up his computer and logging in. He's an odd guy, but nice, and really cute.. I wouldn't mind getting to know him more.

"Wanna play Minecraft? I can't be bothered concentrating." Pattie whispered to the azure-eyed boy.

"Yes!" Ringo grinned in excitement. "Let's keep playing our survival world. Paul, come play with us!"

"I need to pay attention," the raven-haired boy huffed. Obviously, he wasn't doing what he said he needed to do, since he was texting under the table, glancing up every now and again to make sure their teacher hadn't spotted him yet.

"Great attention-payin' yer doin' there, mate." Ringo chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "C'mon, just for a bit."

"Fine, but don't spawn kill me like you did last week."

"That was George! I'm not that cruel."

"Oh, yeah!" Paul laughed as they all opened up the game.

Realising that John might be feeling a bit left out if he was watching them all play a game together, he turned around in his seat to ask him if he wanted to join.

"Hey, John?" He hiss-whispered, glancing quickly to see if the teacher had spotted them talking.

"Yeah?" The boy lifted his head in curiosity from where he was scribbling something in the corner of his page.

"Wanna play Minecraft with us? We have a survival world where we're about to finish makin' an End Portal."

"Oh-" The boy blinked, embarrassed. "I don't have a laptop."

Ringo furrowed his brows. We're supposed to have one for school. I guess he hasn't bought one yet.

"Well, I did, but I broke it." He chuckled a little. "I dropped it down the stairs when I was tryin' to carry it and a bowl of cereal at the same time."

"Oh my god!" Ringo held a hand over his mouth to quiet his snickers so the teacher wouldn't hear. "That seriously sucks."

"I know," He shook his head. "I'm such an idiot. Anyways- can I watch you three play?"

"'Course." He smiled warmly. We're getting along! Maybe he might even join the group.  
Turning back to his laptop, the three continued sneakily playing, the teacher thinking they were doing some maths work on it instead.

"Oh god, there's a zombie in the house!" Ringo hissed quietly to his friends.

"And a creeper by the wall, quick! Kill it!" John pointed out, peering over the older's shoulder as he watched them play. He seemed to radiate so much warmth next to him it made Ringo turn to look at him inquiringly. He's so hot. Not like- hot, but really, really warm. Is he too hot? He's not taken off his jacket.

"Noo!" Paul cried a little too loudly, making him quickly close his mouth and stare at the teacher, worried that he had heard him; and yes, he had. He stared at the three friends and began to weave around the desks towards them - John had already jumped back in his seat and turned back to his book, the three friends quickly opening up work and pretending to work. They tried to hide their smiles as their teacher came over.

"How are you three going here?"

"Fine, Mr. Phelps." Pattie smiled at him innocently.

He stood behind them to see their screens; when he saw work was open on them, he eyed the teens suspiciously before leaving to go back to the front of the classroom, seemingly satisfied.

"What happened? I got distracted." Ringo whispered to Paul when he felt the coast was clear.

"The creeper blew a hole in the side of our house!" Paul pouted sadly.

"For fucks sake, it took forever to get the quartz and dark oak wood!" Pattie groaned.

For the rest of the lesson, they chatted idly, deciding not to risk playing again that time. John mainly kept to himself and didn't really engage in conversation. As they gathered their stuff to leave, Ringo shifted to look at the boy, clutching his books in his arms to keep from fiddling nervously.

"Hey, John."

"Yeah?" He glanced up from where he was gathering his stuff.

"I could show you around the school now 'cause it's recess. If you want." He tried not to let his cheeks flare. Jesus, Ringo, why don't you just ask him out already?

"Oh- that would be great. I've got to meet up with me friend Stu for a minute, though, so just wait at the lockers fer me."

"Alright." He agreed. With that, the four of them left the class and entered the hallway. Again, Ringo couldn't help but notice John suddenly growing agitated again, staring wildly around at everything and seemingly reacting to every loud sound. The slamming of lockers made him jump and curse to himself, cringing away at all the noises and wrinkling his nose for some reason, eyes squinting too - he quickly left them, weaving his way through the crowd. He saw him recoiling away every time he touched any other student, as well. His odd behaviour made Ringo even more confused.

He seemed to be okay in the classroom, but every time we're in the hallway with other kids around, he seems to be really on edge, especially cause of all the noises. Isn't that something werewolves have? Super senses? He chuckled to himself. That's funny. He's probably just sensitive and not used to seeing so many people after not being in school for a while.

"See you guys at lunch!" Pattie waved goodbye to him and Paul and left in the opposite direction; they said their goodbyes, and the doe-eyed boy turned to gaze at Ringo expectantly, a knowing glint in his eye

"So."

"What?" Ringo knew exactly what the other was going to ask, but he decided to play innocent anyway.

"Don't play dumb, I see you!" Paul giggled gleefully, clapping his hands together. "You have a crush on Mr Mysterious Punk Hairy Man."

"I-I dunno!" Ringo shrugged, throwing his hands up. "I think I do.. Cynthia said he was bi, so maybe I have a chance-"

"You have ta ask 'im out!" Paul nudged him. "C'mon, mate! It'll be worth it. He seems a little.. strange, but he's super cute and a nice guy! You should go fer it."

"Maybe." Ringo licked his lips nervously. "I can't just go full out! I want ta get to know 'im a little better first."

"Alright, suit yerself. If I were you, I'd be quick- he's gonna have guys and girls all over him." The boy winked at him with a grin before sauntering away and out of sight. Probably to go meet up with George.

Ringo just rolled his eyes knowingly. Paul was like that sometimes. Plucking up courage, he pushed his way into the crowd to begin looking for John; eventually he found him at the lockers, Stuart with him. He'd never paid much attention to the latter, since he often kept to himself, only friends with people similar to him. The almond-eyed boy looked like he could maybe fit it in with them, but he wasn't wearing clothes that were 'artsy'.

He was about to announce himself, since neither had spotted him yet, but something kept him from doing so - they were standing relatively close together, whispering furtively, both looking irritated. Are they dating? Ringo wondered briefly.

"I knew this was a bad idea. You've no idea what yer doin'." Stuart hissed quietly, throwing his hands up in frustration. John rolled his eyes in response and leant against the lockers, looking nonchalant.

"Yer bein' paranoid. I'm doin' just fine."

What the hell do they mean? Ringo's eyes widened a little. 'I knew this was a bad idea'? What is Stuart talking about? He felt even more curious now. There must be something more going on with John Lennon.

Speaking of; the boy spotted him a few metres away and quickly pushed off the lockers, looking a bit alarmed. He sent a glare Stuart's way, whispering harshly - something quiet enough that Ringo couldn't hear it - before coming up to him with a more friendly disposition.

"Hey. Ready ta show me around this wonderful buildin' now?" He joked with a small smile.

"Oh, my pleasure." He chuckled. Stop being so nosy, Ringo, it's none of your business, he told himself, brushing away his curious thoughts, deciding not to bring it up or try and look into it anymore.  
With that, the pair began to stroll around the school. Most of the kids had left the hallways and were in either the cafeteria or outside, so it seemed that John was less agitated then he was beforehand.

"Here's the front entrance, obviously, and the principal's office is just here.." Ringo pointed out the first door on their left. "The nurse's office is just across here."  
For some reason, the auburn-haired boy's gaze trained on the nurse's office intensely, nostrils flaring slightly as if he was sniffing something. He paused in his footing, glancing at him suspiciously. What's he doing?

"Oh, right." John tore his gaze away from the door, seemingly shaking out of some odd trance as he faked a smile at Ringo. "Let's keep goin'."  
The rest of their recess was spent wandering about the school, chattering idly as he showed him where all the important rooms and classes were; Ringo noticed when they entered the cafeteria that John began to grow edgy again, nose scrunched up and staying well away from the area where you could look at the food and buy them. They had passed a table and a kid had stood up, seat making a loud scraping noise against the hard floor. This made John leap back, exclaiming "Agh!" under his breath and block his ears for a second. When he had asked if he was okay, he just shook his head and said he was fine. When they left, the auburn-haired boy had almost collapsed in relief as they entered the almost silent hallways again. He'd been making his way back to their lockers when a kid who was pulling out a book slammed their locker closed and ran off. John clenched his fists tightly and he cringed, seemingly in pain again. What is it with him and loud noises and everything? I'm almost worried for him.  
Kids were beginning to gather now, collecting their stuff for the next class that was about to start.

"I've got English," Ringo muttered to himself, gazing down at his timetable in his hands. He lifted his head, about to talk to John, but he saw he had supposedly disappeared, his assigned locker half open. His brows knotted in worry and he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. I hope he's okay.

"Hey, Rings!" He looked up to see the rest of the group coming up to him; only Jane, Maureen and Pattie were missing, probably having already gone to their classes.

"How was showing around John?" Paul grinned knowingly, passing by him to get to his own locker.

"It was fine, yeah." Ringo wondered whether he should tell them about how he acted. No, don't. I don't want to gossip about him when he's not here.

"Y'know, I figured you'd like him, Ringo." Cynthia piped up with a sly smile. "He has pretty similar music taste to you."

His cheeks flushed pink again. Why is everyone trying to get me to date him? Shaking it off, he just pretended to be casual about it.  
"Cool, I guess." Shutting his locker, he adjusted his books in hand. "Who's got English in C5?"

"Oh, me!" Cynthia smiled.

"Same." Maureen nodded, while George clapped happily.

"Me three!"

"Alright. Meet up at lunch on the steps?" Paul inquired.

They all agreed on it and began make their way to their classes accordingly. Ringo wondered whether John had just left early to his class and had forgotten to lock his locker. Maybe he's feeling sick and that's why he's on edge around crowds and left abruptly? But he doesn't seem to be... I don't want to scare him off by being too nosy, though. I guess everyone has their quirks. 

-

"I'm already so tired of today," Jane sighed, leaning against the railing and biting into a sandwich.  
The group of eight were sitting strewn across the front steps, chatting idly as they ate their food; Linda was sitting next to her girlfriend and had her head on her shoulder, sipping on a bottle of orange juice, while Ringo laid across from her, head in Maureen's lap while she braided his hair into tiny braids. Paul was next to her, cuddling George in his lap, the two sharing a cup of ramen noodles, while Cynthia watched Maureen, Pattie leaning on the blonde girl as she scrolled through Instagram.  
John and Stuart were with them, the former sitting at Ringo's feet, making the group ten - albeit they weren't sitting quite as close as the others were. They looked a bit more like outsiders compared to the other friends, who were relatively tight knit with each other and were comfortable being close.  
The latter was mainly speaking to John, not really addressing the others, while the almond-eyed boy was more comfortable with chatting to all of them.

"Hey, guys!" Paul spoke up after having been silent for a bit, eyes glittering with excitement; he always got that expression when he came up with a new idea, Ringo had noticed over the years.

"What's up?" Jane turned to him with interest, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"We should have a back to school party tomorrow night! To celebrate us having to put up with hell for another eight weeks until it's Christmas."

"Yes!" Maureen cheered. "We totally should do that."

"I dunno if we should party on a school night, though," Linda chewed on the inside of her cheek in concern.

"Oh, who cares! We don't have to drink that much." George slurped up another forkful of noodles.

"It's not like we've not gone to school hungover at least once in our lives." Cynthia pointed out with a chuckle.

"True." Ringo agreed.

"Alright, are we all in?" Paul gazed at them all eagerly, before turning to John and Stuart. "You two can come too, if you want,"

"Uh-" Stuart started, looking awkward. "I have stuff to do then, sorry."

He probably doesn't have stuff to do, just wants an excuse not to have to hang out with kids in his year that he isn't friends with. Ringo thought with an amused smirk.

"I'm down for it." John smiled, eyes glittering with excitement. "Any excuse to get pissed."  
They all chuckled while Ringo noticed Stuart staring at him in shock before whispering something harshly in his ear; the other just sent him a glare before dismissing him. 

"Great!" Paul pumped his fist in the air before falling short, thinking to himself for a moment. "Ringo, you think you can get some weed?"

"Ugh, why me?" Ringo groaned.

"Cause you have the best dealer!" George protested.

"True," he admitted. His dealer, Rory Storm, was a pretty eccentric and decent friend of his. They had been in a band together when they were younger, but eventually it fell apart. "alright, fine, I'll see if I can get it by then." 

"Wicked!" Paul grinned. "Alright, it's settled."

They all went back to talking about other things while Ringo sat up, a hand reaching up to feel the mini braids Maureen had weaved.

"Hey Mo, take a pic for me?-" He turned to her.

"I think I did a pretty good job." She smiled as she took out her phone, holding it up to take a picture.  
He couldn't help feeling that he was being watched again, and he turned to see John gazing at him curiously, head tilted slightly as if he was an animal smelling or seeing something to their interest. When they locked eyes, the younger quickly looked away, looking apparently embarrassed to be caught staring.

He blinked, feeling his cheeks heat up at the thought of John watching him. He's super cute.. but really strange. There's something about him. I want to know more.


	2. ringo ditches school and wonders about john

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ahhh im really excited for this au !! enjoy this chapter sorry for the delay kfkdkf been trying to finish up my other fics lolol

"Jeez, it's a bit cold... wish I brought a jacket."

"Here - you can have mine, babe."   
The wind whistled in Ringo's ears in a bizarre way, kissing his cheeks - which had flushed against the cold - with brittle, unseen hands, as if a ghostly figure had flitted past him as it whispered hidden secrets that no one could understand. He adjusted his hoodie that he'd thrown over his head to keep warm and shoved his hands into his pockets, toying with his phone absentmindedly as him and his friends began to make their way inside their school. Linda, who had been shivering with her hands wrapped around her thin arms to compensate for the Jimi Hendrix t-shirt she had worn that day, was now wearing Jane's pale yellow jumper, the two conversing amongst themselves quietly as they walked.

"Here comes winter... again." Maureen sighed, rolling her eyes and adjusting her school bag she'd slung over her shoulder; she was dressed with a thick black scarf in addition to her usual hybrid-punk-e-girl clothing and her large platform boots. Kids were swarming all around them as usual, a sea of pubescent teenagers all looking disgruntled or riddled with existential dread, as normal. Cheers, I'll drink to that, bro, the azure-eyed boy thought to himself with a snort.

"You guys know if Cynthia's comin'?" George turned to the rest of the group; everyone except Cynthia and Pattie were there, the latter having run ahead since she needed to talk to her English teacher about her project, but Cynthia hadn't arrived yet. John was nowhere to be seen either, and it made curiosity stir in Ringo's gut. I wonder why he isn't here?

"Nah, she isn't. She texted to tell she's sick." Jane replied as they reached the lockers. Ringo opted to tune out as he dumped his bag at his feet to begin to unlock his locker, mind wandering from what they'd been talking about to John again. Is he sick as well? Maybe he'll be late, or he might have gone off with Stuart or something already.

"Yer excited for the party too, right, Rings??" His attention was turned to the person who nudged his shin with their foot, grinning down at them excitedly - that person was Paul, sleek dark hair ruffled, leather jacket glinting against the harsh white lights of the hallway. 

"Oh- yeah. Course." He smiled, a familiar buzz at the thought of getting pissed and swimming in Jane's pool or something crawling in his veins. "Can't wait to smoke some pot."

"Ugh, you're such a stoner!" Linda scoffed, smirking at him mischievously.

"What? I can't enjoy some good kush?" He made a face in her direction as he began to gather his science books.

"It's the dollar store, how good can it be?" George immediately shot out a Vine reference (as expected. You can't pass up a good Vine reference) causing everyone to chuckle, Ringo exclaiming "I was hoping someone would get it!".

After everyone had collected their schoolbooks, they made their separate ways to class. Ringo had history, which was the only lesson where he had none of his friends in his class, so he trekked on by himself through the building to his classroom. The hallways had begun to empty out as everyone settled in their classes, and he wondered about John again for a moment. I hope I get to see him again soon.

-

The cafeteria was a cacophony of chair legs etching scratches into the smooth flooring with screeches of protest, bellows of fellow students followed by strings of laughter and the slam of plastic trays against table tops that were almost more stain than table; the ultimate worst nightmare for anyone with even slightly sensitive hearing. Ringo had become numb to it himself - it was white noise to him that was easy to tune out by that point. He sipped idly at his bottle of juice, scooting to the left a bit when he was nearly elbowed in the face as George and Paul fought over the last cookie of the bunch they'd been sharing at recess.

"You've had three! I only got one!" Paul shrieked.

"So what? I'm a growin' boy, I need the nutrients!" George shot back, the two wrestling over and over to try and attain it from each other; they were trying to avoid crumbling it in their grasp, but had already begun to fail - the rest of the group watched on with either annoyance or an impish amusement. Ringo felt somewhat the former, since Paul had nearly broken his nose.

"Oh, shut it, both of you tossers!" Maureen snapped her fingers in front of their faces to get their attention, causing both of them to cease their movements and glare at her. "Here, put the cookie down on the table."  
They followed her instructions. But of course, it was a terrible mistake on their part - she immediately snatched it up and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, swallowing it after a few bites with a joyous giggle.

"Oh god, here goes George-" Pattie started, watching as the dark-eyed boy practically fumed (albeit there was no real malice) and leapt up from his seat, making a dash for the girl.

"I'll kill ya for that!"

"And they're off!" Ringo exclaimed as the two sprinted off, Maureen cackling wildly the whole time while George chased after her, beginning to laugh himself. Eventually the two made it back to the group's table, Maureen ducking behind Paul to peer over his shoulder, still laughing and a bit out of breath.

"Fine, fine, I'm done-" George puffed, leaning on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. "'m too unfit to keep goin'."

"Hah! I win." Maureen triumphed.

"Ok, now that yer done with your chasing session," Paul began, eyes glinting as he grinned; Ringo knew that meant he'd gotten an idea. "let's ditch, I'm bored."

"Yes! I'm in." Maureen agreed quickly, George nodding eagerly himself.

"But where do we go? It's freezin'." Ringo blinked, tilting his head.

"Chippy, of course! Love ta have a milkshake and some chips." Paul threw up his hands as if to say 'that should be obvious!' before getting to his feet, the chair screeching in protest against the floor.

"Sure, anythin' to get out of science." Ringo shrugged.

"I can't, guys, sorry-" Linda piped up. "My teacher said we're learning about our first assignment today."

"Me neither. I don't really wanna take the risk." Jane agreed, Pattie nodding along.

"Okay, just us. See you at lunch?" Maureen asked the girls as they prepared to leave.

"Yeah. See ya."

With that, George, Maureen, Paul and Ringo hurried out of the cafeteria, chattering excitedly as they made their way through the hallways and to the exit. When they opened the front doors to slip through, Ringo noticed that the sky was cloudy - though the wind had dropped a little and the air had become more still. He felt his stomach stir anticipatingly at the thought of food. They managed to flee the premises without detection, and they began their trek down the street to one of their favourite places.   
In order to get there faster, they decided to cut through the park. It was basically deserted, the only sounds being the rustle of tree branches and the occasional trills and warbles of bird calling to each other.

"God, I feel sick from that cookie. Where the hell did you guys get them?" Maureen groaned, holding a hand to her stomach for a moment.

"Oh, I got it from the bargain bin at Tesco. It was like- one quid or somethin'." George shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Eurgh, that explains it," she chuckled, nose wrinkling in slight disgust.

Ringo snorted, about to reply, when he heard a heavy footstep and the crack of a twig behind him; he paused in his footing, turning to glance in the direction of the noise with slightly furrowed brows. The large clump of ferns and bushes that clustered around a large tree twitched a little, then was still. Was it a rabbit or something? He'd been about to spin back around, thinking nothing of it, until he saw bright citrine eyes emerge from the darkness, staring right at him with a strong intensity. He froze in shock, staring right back at them with wide eyes. What the hell is that? There was a rustle again as the creature moved further back, face completely hidden in the darkness; he almost tripped over Paul's feet as he scampered backwards to try and get away. The moment he blinked, they were gone, fast crunching footsteps fading into the distance - as if someone was stepping on dry leaves - for a few seconds before there was silence.

"Woah, mate, you alright-" George grabbed onto his shoulder, his friends turning towards him in concern, but he only stared at the spot in fright and confusion. What was that? They were so bright and intense, as if it was staring into my soul.

"Did you see that?" He pointed to the clump of bushes that were at the forefront of a thick cluster of trees that had such dark leaves and entwining branches that the area was shadowed in darkness.

"See what? I didn't see anythin'." Maureen tilted her head slightly, staring at him in bewilderment.

"I saw these huge, bright yellow eyes starin' right at me." He gestured to his face, turning to look at his friends with worry written all across it.

"You on crack, Ringo? It must've been a dog or somethin'." Paul rolled his eyes, grabbing onto his arm and beginning to drag him away. "Now come on before they're out of stuff for milkshakes!"

He shrugged his friend off but complied anyway, letting out an annoyed huff that he was brushed off so easily. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he turned to look one last time at the dark forest with an uncertain glint in his eyes. I feel like I'm being watched. Was it really a dog or something? I don't know...

Eventually he had let it curl into the back corner of his mind once they had reached their destination; entering the shop, he was blasted with a wave of heat and he grinned jubilantly at the familiar smell of oil and salt that wafted about the room. There were a few other students that they recognised - that seemed to be ditching themselves - when they glimpsed around the room, ordering their own food, nestled in the cushy booths. 

"You guys get a good seat, I'll order." Paul gestured to the front counter. "But one of youse have ta pay next time."

"Will do!" Maureen saluted, making everyone snicker - the rest of the group separated from him and they searched for one, eventually finding a perfect one at the back of the shop and settling into it. Maureen went in first, Ringo after her and George on the opposite side; the puppy-eyed boy rested his head in his hand as the other took out his phone, opening it up. 

"It's kinda funny that we're already ditching school on the second day, huh?" Maureen snickered.

"Eh, it's not like we do much in the first week, anyroad." George shrugged. 

"Oh! Guys," Ringo had been scrolling through YouTube, and he placed his phone in the middle of the table. "let's watch Cody Ko's new video." 

"Yes!" Maureen clapped happily as he clicked on it, making sure the volume wasn't loud enough to annoy anyone else sitting near them; the three then watched the video with great intrigue, until after a few minutes when Paul came back with their food, pushing it to the side and digging into their chips and drinks hungrily.

"Ew, vanilla? Seriously, Paul?" George's face crumpled in slight disgust as he sipped at his milkshake his boyfriend had bought for him. "You know I always get chocolate."

"I know, sorry love-" he shrugged. "they had none left. I told you we should've left earlier!" 

"Oh, who cares!" Ringo laughed, nudging his younger friend with a roll of his eyes. "You manage to be the guy who eats literally anythin' and also the pickiest ever, Geo." 

"Am not!" He protested with a pout.

"Whatever. Anyroad," Paul popped another chip in his mouth and leant against the table. "what do you guys think of that John guy?"

"Oh, him?" Maureen furrowed her brows slightly. "He wasn't here today, was he? I wonder why."

"I think he's nice." Ringo chewed his lip for a few seconds. "A bit strange, though... he was actin' really odd when I was showing him around the school and stuff."

"How so?" George blinked, gazing at him questioningly. 

"I dunno, like-" he paused, licking his lips as he wondered whether he should tell them. "just really jumpy, cringing at every loud noise, smelling stuff from a while away that I couldn't even smell meself at first. And..." he trailed off again. Should I tell them about what him and Stuart had been talking about? I feel like I shouldn't... I wasn't supposed to hear it in the first place. "nothin' else, really. Just seemed to be really on edge when there was lots of other people and loud noises and stuff. Otherwise, in the classroom and stuff or when there's no one else around - he seems to be normal."

"Hah, yeah. It really is strange, isn't it? He acts like a vampire or a werewolf or somethin'." Paul snickered; they all laughed themselves at the absurd notion, not thinking much more of it and beginning to talk about other things. Ringo fell silent, just slowly eating his chips as he gazed at the table. He couldn't get those intensive, sharp eyes out of his head; every time he closed his eyes, they seemed to stare hauntingly at him from the inside of his eyelids. 

Yeah... strange.

-

"Ok, see you at school tomorrow, Ringo! And don't forget the party! And the weed!" Paul waved in his direction, George and Maureen standing beside him as Ringo began to cross the street from the chip shop. He pulled his hoodie closer to his frame to protect himself from the wintry surroundings; he could see the clouds roll on for miles and miles like a blanket of mist across the city. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to Rory." He nodded, sending a smile their way before he turned away to begin his trek to the bus stop. He'd been feeling on edge and a little disoriented ever since the experience in the park, so he decided to just abandon the rest of the day and go home; Paul, George and Maureen were going to go back, so they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. He wasn't really up to sitting around in class and pretending to pay attention. 

Sticking his headphones in his ears, he scrolled through his songs and eventually decided on Mt. Washington by Local Natives. The soft, melancholic plucks of a guitar filled his ears as he trudged on, picking up the pace to try and have less time hanging about in the cold. It was luckily only a short ways from the chip shop, so eventually he arrived, opting to sit on the metal seats under cover - not before he scanned the bus schedule printed on the front to make sure he hadn't just missed it and would have to wait twenty minutes.

He'd been sitting there for a few seconds, tired eyes staring ahead as he focussed on the music, when a figure appeared at the corner of his vision. He lifted his gaze to see who it was, and he full straightened in surprise when he saw who it was, heart jumping wildly in his chest for a moment. John was walking towards him, wearing a large, oversized jacket, looking a little on edge and almost embarrassed. His hair was a little more ruffled than usual, and as he grew closer, Ringo saw there was a bright ring of yellow in his irises. 

"Oh, hey, John!" He stood up, popping out one headphone and shoving his hands into his pockets, staring at him in curiosity. This boy is so intriguing and remarkable.. his eye colour seems to change so much! I've never seen that before.

"Cheeky rebel not at school, huh?" The boy joked, sliding out a cigarette pack and striking up a light, putting it between his lips and taking a long drag. He smokes? Ringo thought with a furrow of his brows, nose wrinkling at the acrid stench of smoke. John seemed to take note of this and took a step away from him, blowing the smoke to the side so it wouldn't bother him as much.

"I could say the same thing for you." Ringo chuckled. "You weren't at school today, I noticed." He felt his heartbeat pick up speed and he tried his best to keep cool and not give away that he was thinking about him a lot.

"Oh, yeah." The boy sighed, shrugging nonchalantly and taking another puff. "I just didn't really feel like it, I guess."

"Right." He nodded, not really wanting to push it further, having a feeling that John wasn't exactly telling the truth there. "Me, Paul, George and Mo went ta get chips. You should've come with us! If ya knew, I guess."

"Next time, then." He smiled at Ringo, flashing a wink in his direction before turning away to peer down the street, probably looking to see if the bus had come yet. Oh, god, he's really cute, Ringo thought as his cheeks flamed up. I don't think I should make any move, yet, though.. I want to get to know him first.

"Oi, here it comes!" The auburn-haired boy announced. They made their way up to the edge of the footpath as the bus rounded the corner, its roaring engine echoing through the street as it pulled up beside them with a screech of the breaks. Ringo couldn't help but notice how John flinched back from the loud noise before hurriedly getting onto the bus, the other following behind. Paying their fares, the two made their way down the laneway to the seats clustered at the back, picking a two seater a row from the last. The bus started up again with a shuddering bellow, pulling into the street and continuing its route. 

"So, what's got ya goin' home instead of back ta school for the last period?" John turned to him, adjusting his thin-rimmed glasses as he gazed at the other expectantly. 

"I dunno.." The sapphire-eyed boy shook his head a little, uncertain expression forming as the strange occurrence at the park came to mind again. "there was this- really strange thing that happened as we cut through the park to get to the chippy."

"Oh? What was it?" Something unreadable flared in his eyes for a moment before it was gone, just seeming mildly interested as he pulled out his phone. 

Ringo sighed, waving it off, silently cursing himself. You're gonna seem crazy and paranoid, idiot! "Nah, it was nothing. Anyroad, you should come to school tomorrow so we can go from there to Jane's for the party." She was the wealthiest of the group, and had a large outdoor pool and a VR headset that they all loved to fight over; her parents were usually away at business trips for days on end, leaving it to her, her brother and sister.

"'Course. Great way to celebrate the new school year, eh?" John glanced at him again with the raise of an eyebrow, smirking.

"Of course. We're seventeen, it's almost obligatory for us to party." Ringo chuckled, rolling his eyes - peering out the window, he saw that they had almost reached his stop. Standing up, he scooted over John and emerged in the empty laneway; the bus went over a particularly large bump and he almost was sent careening into a woman sitting a few rows ahead of them on the other side. The only thing that stopped him was John grabbing onto his arm and steadying him.

"You right, mate?" The boy gazed at him in concern as Ringo turned to look at him, his touch lingering for a second longer before he let go. His arm tingled strangely as if he was still gripping onto him, every hair on the back of his neck standing up. His hands were so warm.. weird. He thought as he clutched onto his phone, cheeks dusting pink again.

"Thanks. 'm okay."

"This is my stop, so-" Ringo gestured to the street with a friendly smile. "hopefully I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." John smirked back at him, taking out his own and holding it out in front of the other. "Why don't you.. put yer number in case you need a ditching partner sometime?" 

The azure-eyed boy blinked at him in shock. He wants my number? Shit! "Why not?" He shrugged, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to keep from grinning as widely as humanly possible. Gently taking the phone from him, he began entering his details before handing it back to him. Not too shabby, get in there my son!

"See you later, partner." John winked one last time, sending him a salute; his eyes sparkled with humour, causing Ringo to grin back at him and say his goodbyes, hurrying off of the bus to get off before it continued on with him still on. Stepping onto the footpath, the boy slipped his headphones back on to continue to listening to music, shivering slightly at the bitter gust of wind that whipped a few hairs against his face. With another shuddering groan, the bus pulled away from the footpath and ambled off into the distance; he stared after it for a few seconds, thinking to himself with a huge grin. I really got his number! 

He trotted home, unable to keep the smile off his face the entire way - once he had arrived, he fished through his pockets for his house keys and retrieved them, opening up the front door and making his way into the house. It was completely still. No one was home, as expected; his parents both got home from work well after he would have normally come home from school. 

"Charlie?" He called, letting out a whistle - there was a rustle then a fast patter of paws coming closer before his German Shepherd hurried through the kitchen archway, padding up to him and letting out a bark, tail wagging incessantly. He grinned and stroked his fur, kneeling down to hug him close. "Hey, boy. I know, I'm home early!" Standing up, he kicked off his shoes and dumped his school bag by the door, twirling his headphones in his fingers as he entered the kitchen. Charlie trailed after him, panting and gazing up at him excitedly as if he expected food.

"I can't give you food, Charlie. Not 'til dinnertime." He scratched behind his dog's ears before opening the pantry doors, rummaging through the foods until he found a packet of ramen. Leaving the noodles to boil, he wandered to the lounge room, snatching the remote off the couch and turning on the tv. It opened up to the news and he watched a burly news reporter that was sitting at a desk, droning on about something or other.   
He'd been about to switch it to Netflix, not really interested in watching it, until what the man was saying caught his attention.

"In the past week - especially on the night of the full moon - there has been a many reports of deer, owls, rabbits and other forest animals being killed, their bodies discarded and mangled, and many people's pets have been killed as well. There has been strange patterns of it occurring once a month." He stared at the tv in growing worry. All these animals being killed? It's not like we have wolves or bears or anything here. That's odd. 

The reporter continued. "Whether these may be foxes or some other type of animal, make sure to keep your pets inside at night in case; police are looking into it. David Jenkins is on the scene now-"

Ringo cut the man off by turning it off, tossing the remote on the couch and making his way back to the kitchen. I'm sure it's just foxes. He dismissed it, taking his noodles off the boil and adding the seasoning, digging into the ramen as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Will John text me soon? He thought as he bit at his nail, opening up his phone. There were no notifications yet. Be patient, Ringo. Just wait. Pushing it to the side, he finished his noodles and stood up, washing his bowl and fork and putting it away. 

"Want to go for walkies, huh, Charlie?" He turned to his dog, who had settled himself on the tile floor against the kitchen cupboards, head resting between his paws. At the mention of walks, Charlie leapt to his paws and let out a jubilant string of barks, jumping up to paw at his owner's leg before dashing to the hallway where the leashes were kept. Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Ringo followed him and slipped on his shoes, attaching the leash to his collar - the dog jumped up and down in barely-suppressed excitement as he stuffed the house keys and his phone into his pocket again. 

"This'll make up for me absence, huh, boy?" He grinned down at Charlie.   
With that, he opened the front door and stepped out into the front garden; flipping up his hood, he shut the door after him and began his walk, John lingering in his mind.


	3. the group have a party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HHHH sorry omg such a late update, i promise to try to update a bit more on the reg ! hope u enjoy this chapter

It was surprisingly sunny when Ringo emerged from the school building; the rays were weak, as expected, but the clouds had cleared from this morning and he felt more optimistic that it wouldn't be too cold when they had the party. He continued to weave his way around the clusters of kids as everyone began their trips home, glancing back and forth to see if any of his friends had left yet and were waiting at their meetup spot. His nerves were all over the place - he hadn't really seen John that day, only saying a simple hello in the morning as they passed each other before they didn't interact again. It seemed the auburn-haired boy decided to keep to himself, not hanging out with the rest of the group, though sometimes being seen with Stuart. Ringo had mainly stuck with George and Paul that day anyway, the two he was closest with out of all of them. But his mind still lingered on John. Is he gonna like hanging out with us at the party? I hope I don't do anything too stupid if I get high, like get really clingy or flirty or something.

Shaking away those thoughts, he paused his footing when he got to the front gates of the school, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the fence. It seemed he was the first one there. Shaking off his hoodie, he tied it around his waist before he slipped his phone out of his pocket and opened it up, beginning to scroll through Instagram while he waited for his friends. He knew this night would be a fun one, especially now they had a new addition. He just hoped that John would enjoy it too. 

"Hey, hey, hey, Rings! You hyped for tonight?"

He lifted his head at the familiar voice - of course it was Paul, George trailing after his boyfriend with a fond grin as the droopy-eyed boy came up to his best friend, nudging his arm. Ringo chuckled affectionately at his enthusiasm. He was always like that. Happy-go-lucky, an excited person in general; especially when it comes to parties.

"Yeah, 'course. Got the, uh.." he trailed off, patting his bag with a knowing wink and a grin. "special herbs. I decided to just bring 'em to school so I didn't have to go all the way home and back. 'Sides, mum almost caught me with it last time."

"Hah! Richard Starkey bringin' drugs into the home? Sinful!" George joked.

"Yeah, yeah, yak it up." Ringo rolled his eyes. "Who was the one caught sneakin' vodka out? Certainly not me!"

"That was one time!" He protested with a pout, crossing his arms. 

"I remember dear old Harold being appalled that his son was tryin' to sneak alcohol out fer a party!" Paul snickered.

"Don't call me dad 'dear old Harold' ever again."

"Yeah, Paul, don't call yer boyfriend's dad 'dear old Harold'!"   
They turned to see Jane, Linda and Cynthia coming up behind them, looking mildly amused at their conversation.

Linda checked her phone for a moment before glancing around them. "Anyways, do you know when the rest will get here?"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon enough. Didn't really see John today." Ringo shrugged.

"Oh, and you'd 'ave loved that, wouldn't ya?" Paul giggled.

"Fuckin' shut up about it, Paul!" Ringo protested. "It's whatever, anyroad, 'cause I got his number yesterday."

"What?" Immediately everyone whipped around to look at him in shock. George cheered and smacked his friend on the back - a little too hard for Ringo's liking - while Paul threw an arm around his shoulders in congratulations.

"I knew you could do it, lad!"

"Any of you say anythin' about it and I'll deck you all to next bloody week." He threatened.

"Roger that!" Jane saluted jokingly.

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head; his friends have never changed. They eventually fell into idle chatter as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive, Ringo opting to stay mainly silent as he continued to scroll through his phone. He couldn't seem to get his heartbeat to slow, palms beginning to sweat as he continued to wonder about John. Was he going to come? He hoped so. I wish I'd stop being such a nervous mess! He thought with a sigh. He probably thinks I'm an awkward git.

Glancing up, he spotted John slipping through the front doors of the school, scanning the area until he spotted the group - he then hurried over to greet them, looking more cheerful than Ringo had ever seen him. Maureen and Pattie exited the building a few seconds after him, looking pretty eager themselves. 

"Everyone's here! Let's go." Jane announced. They greeted each other with excitement, and with that the friends all began to make their way down the street to the train station. John wormed his way through the group to reach Ringo, who was walking up the front with George and Maureen; he fell into step beside him, smiling warmly at the other. He willed his cheeks not to flush at that.

"Oi, ditching partner. How are ya?"

Ringo grinned back at their newly found inside joke. He noticed the weak rays of the sun sunk into John's mousy-coloured hair, styled with greased back sides and a mass of curls on top (vaguely reminding him of some type of 1950's haircut) seemed to transform it into a different colour, glinting almost a reddish ginger in the light; he gazed at it in wonder. That's so pretty.

"Yer hair goes a bit red in the sunlight." He blurted, immediately cringing at himself after. Could you just be cool for once in your life, Ringo? He sighed inwardly at himself.

"Oh.. yeah. I got it from me mum." John's demeanour changed slightly, his gaze hardening as he stared ahead of him with his jaw clenched. He could see it - he was trying to keep his emotions hidden. He swallowed, feeling instantly guilty. Why did you have to say anything at all? He cursed at himself under his breath. They didn't really notice the fact that they'd dropped off from the main group, travelling at a much slower pace than the rest, a few metres behind. It was better that they were, though.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. About all that. But you've probably heard that a thousand times already, I'm sure." Ringo chuckled humourlessly, rubbing the back of his neck. He never really knew what to say with these kinds of things; he'd try his best to be sympathetic, though not overly so. He'd been there for Paul when Mary had passed away, and he learnt what they - Paul, at least - didn't like was saying 'It'll get better' and laying on the sympathy as thick as humanly possible, almost pretending like they knew what it was like when they clearly didn't. Ringo never knew what it was like to live without a mother, and it wouldn't do any good in trying to. You just had to show your support in all ways you could, but not to treat them like glass, either.

John blinked at him, gaze softening a little before he let out a small cough, turning his attention back to the front. He seemed to brush it off, probably not inclined to talk about it, clapping his hands together with a sort of finality.   
"'S alright. Anyroad, let's catch up to the others, eh?"

With that, they left their spot behind - the awkward conversation, too, left in the dust - and picked up the pace to a jog to reach the rest of their friends; they'd just come to the street where the train station was situated, and everyone was still chattering excitedly about all sorts of things. Cynthia, Paul and George been in the middle of some argument when they caught up to them, and Ringo and John exchanged a curious glance.

"What about you, John?" Cynthia turned to her old friend with a smirk. "How do you feel, going to someone's house with a bunch of people you just met a few days ago to party?"  
Ringo snickered, not understanding why she'd asked since they missed the first part.

"Uh.. 'm not really bothered. If yer friends with them, then I'm good." John chuckled. "You better not be secretly tryin' to drug me and induct me in some sacrificial cult, though."

"Hahaha, bollocks!.." George joked, as if they really had been planning on sacrificing their new friend to some God or devil or whatever.

"Damnit. Well there goes me Sunday roast." John groaned. Everyone dissolved into laughter, Ringo especially; he seemed to find things that the other said particularly funny, even if it wasn't, objectively.

"Shit, guys- hurry up, we're 'bout to miss the train!" Jane exclaimed. The group had been so busy talking that they hadn't realised the train was beginning to pull in the station already, causing them to burst into action to make it. They had all successfully made it on, John being the fastest - he'd made it there in a matter of seconds after swiftly jumping the fence and held the door open for everyone else. Ringo was somewhat shocked at how fast and swift he'd been, but decided not to ponder further on it as they managed to get on the train.   
It was exceedingly packed, common for a weekday, so they had to bunch up near the doors, unable to catch any seats since they were all filled. Ringo was squished uncomfortably between two large men and John, one arm clutching onto the railing above while the other held his phone to his chest, bag dumped by his feet. The almond-eyed boy stared down at him with an intense gaze, adjusting his glasses slightly as he blinked at Ringo. He always had a really intense stare, he'd noticed; as if he was trying to look into the person instead of simply just at them. Unveil their deepest desires, worst fears, everything about them with one look - it made him feel a little self-conscious and shy, but he didn't feel weirded out, really. It just felt.. normal. Like it was just him.

"I always take this train home. And it's packed every damn time," John chuckled, having to suddenly grab on the seat next to him to stop him from colliding into the older boy when the train shuddered to a halt. Ringo tried not to focus on how the other loomed over him, hand still clutching the seat tops on their side, basically trapping him in the corner, attempting not to accidentally touch the men behind him. He seemed to scrunch up his nose a little at something, eyes narrowing as he stared at the men behind Ringo, looking disgusted.

"As expected." Ringo laughed, though stared at John curiously. The men did smell a little bad, like they hadn't heard of a shower in a while. He leant in a little closer to him, dropping his voice to a lower octave in order to not let the men hear. "D'you smell 'em too?"

John relaxed as he turned back to Ringo. "Yeah. Shit, they must think deodorant costs a fortune or somethin'." He giggled. It was insanely adorable to him and he couldn't help but laugh too, feeling his cheeks warm up as he gazed at the boy. His laugh is so infectious.

The train screeched to a halt again at a stop as it continued on its journey; Ringo was glad to see it was the men's stop, the pair squeezing through the crowd and onto the platform, taking their unsavoury smell and droning speech with them. He scooted backwards to create some more space between him and everyone else, John shuffling closer as well but leaving a considerable gap. The azure-eyed boy felt an odd emptiness now that the other wasn't as close anymore, strange that he wasn't right up in front of him like before.

After a few minutes of a comfortable silence, they made it to their stop; the group all clustered together again as they left the train, making their way off the platform and through the streets again to get to Jane's house. Their surroundings had changed - the streets were much cleaner, houses larger with more extravagant decorations, people in nicer clothes walking past or driving bulky, excessively shiny cars that Ringo could spot his reflection in as they passed. The wealthier part of Liverpool.

"I live 'round here with me aunt." John shoved his hands in his pockets. "Though usually I'd have stayed on for another two stops."

"Oh, really?" Ringo blinked at him in slight shock. "I wouldn't have thought that.. you'd-"

"That I'd be living in a wealthy place?" John cut him off with a snort. "Nah, it's fine. Mimi's always been relatively well off, more than us. It does mean she lectures me on manners and 'higher class' more often than not. You'd think she was pulled straight from the forties or somethin'."

He chuckled. "She wouldn't like me all that much, then."

John shrugged with a languid smile, rolling his eyes.   
"I don't really care what she thinks most of the time."

"I figured,"

The group rounded the corner, having reached the street where Jane's place was situated. It was a relatively large townhouse with two floors, an attic, a backyard pool, and a basement where a pool table was situated; it was always fun for the friends to hang out at her house and use things that they normally wouldn't have at home. And Jane was a kind person, not big-headed either like some could become if they were wealthy.

"We gotta order food, I'm starvin'." Maureen complained as Jane fumbled to unlock the front door. Once she had done so, they all bustled their way inside, immediately making themselves comfortable by dumping their bags and kicking off their shoes - Ringo immediately settled on the couch, John and Maureen hopping onto it beside him.

"I can shout for you guys," Linda sat on the thick, fluffy white rug that was placed under the couches that faced the TV. "I saved my paychecks from the last two weeks, and I kinda feel like splurging a little."

"Ooh! We should get from that Chinese place." George suggested with a grin. Ringo immediately agreed. That place was a favourite of his, they made such good noodles that were to die for. John and the rest of the group seemed pretty eager themselves.

"Yes! Alright, that's settled." Jane clapped her hands together; Linda opened up her phone and ordered her food, passing the phone from person to person to order their own. When it got to Ringo, John leant over his shoulder to watch what he was gonna get. He didn't really feel like eating all that much, though, and he turned to the other boy.

"Hey, John, want to share some beef noodles?" Ringo gestured to the phone in his hand.

"Oh- sure!" The almond-eyed boy grinned. "I'd love to."

Ringo grinned shyly back at him, feeling his cheeks flush a little again. He saw someone looking at him out of the corner of his eye, and he locked eyes with who it was. Cynthia winked at him with a knowing smirk, and he ducked his head, embarrassment trickling down his back. Ugh, I'm such an idiot.

After they'd ordered the food, they all settled in the lounge room and flicked on the TV, deciding to play Brooklyn 99. Ringo curled up in the corner, John with an arm slung across the top of the couch behind him; he tried not to focus on the fact that his body was only a centimetre away from him, not close enough to touch, but enough to cause his heart rate to pick up a little. After about ten minutes of chatting and watching the TV show, the food had arrived - they brought it inside and Jane began to take out drinks. Ringo chose a simple beer, not feeling like anything too sweet, and they all eagerly dug into their food. He was actually very glad that he'd chosen to share with John, since he knew it wasn't good to drink on an empty stomach, and he didn't want to mix alcohol and the weed he'd brought too much. They all sat on the floor, propping their food up on the dining table as they ate.

"I bags first go on the VR!" Paul declared as he slurped up a large bundle of noodles, making the azure-eyed boy cringe a little at the sound.

"Ugh, come on!" Maureen whined. "You always do this every damn time."

"'Cause he loves that stupid Beat Saber game." George chuckled, taking a large swig of his strawberry vodka.

"Come on! It's fun."

"You suck at it! I beat your high score so easily." Jane rolled her eyes.

"What was his high score?" John queried curiously.

"Ten, also how much of an idiot he is on a one-to-ten scale." Pattie snickered, getting a pillow to the face from said idiot in return. Ringo watched on, a fond grin lighting up his face; it was truly wonderful to sit with his friends, comfortable to throw banter back and forth. It was something that he loved, especially when everyone else was happy. If everyone in the group was having a good time, he was too - if one of them wasn't, he wasn't able to properly settle and would do all he could to make them feel better. He always wanted others to feel content and at ease. It was just some kind of sixth sense that he was inclined to act on.

It had been well over an hour now since they first arrived, and he noticed the sun was beginning to perform its usual ritual of sinking out of sight, the rays now bleeding orange across the waxed floorboards, creating long shadows that stretched across the ground like some strange, dark disease. Ringo skimmed across them as he made his way to the kitchen to grab another beer, enjoying the feeling of sliding around in his socks - there was now a permanent flush to his cheeks, a warm feeling that spread from his toes to muddy his thoughts, common with alcohol. He definitely wasn't tipsy yet, he knew that much, but he was now much more at ease than before.

"So.. when are you gonna ask him out?" 

He startled at the voice, spinning around in shock; it was Maureen, smirking at him with this knowing look that everyone had been giving him after John arrived (which was beginning to get insanely annoying, now) before she slipped past him to open the fridge and snatch out a vodka orange.

"Ugh, I dunno! Will all of ya just quit it? I only just met 'im, fer fuck's sake." He groaned in irritation, focussing on the satisfying crack as he opened up the beer and took a swig - a little larger than he'd intended, though.

"Well, it's bloody obvious, Rings! He's been clingin' to your side all night, too. He's gotta be interested." She stated matter-of-factly, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Let's just go back. I wanna see The Competitors argue." They left it at that, making their way out of the kitchen and back to the lounge; what he'd meant by 'The Competitors' is George, Paul and Jane (Maureen, too, but she wouldn't admit it). They were the most competitive of the group whenever they played any form of game, as they'd learnt very quickly in their friendship, and it was quite a spectacle if they were pushed enough.   
Ringo faintly remembered one time they'd had a few drinks and George (who probably had a few too many that time) was failing in Monopoly, causing him to spill his beer all over Paul's living room floor and threaten to set it on fire if Pattie (who had been the banker) didn't lend him 5 million so he could buy Mount Mayoboku and stop Jane from completing the green set. Paul probably nearly strangled him over the spillage, but Ringo was too busy almost coughing up a lung in laughter as they argued over the game like it was their failing marriage or something.

When they'd reached the lounge room, Paul was already in game, trying his best while being tipsy to play Beat Saber to Firework by Katy Perry, Jane and George shouting instructions left and right. John, Cynthia, Pattie and Linda watched on, giggling to themselves as they argued, sometimes throwing teasing words in themselves.

"No, you fuckin' pillock! You were 'sposed to go left!" George threw up his hands in a seemingly endless frustration. 

"Yeah, Paul, you were 'sposed to go left!" Linda called out jokingly.

"'m tryin' my BEST, here, you pricks! If you'd just stop yellin'-" Paul began, waving his arms about wildly; he looked so comical, wearing a bright blue Pink Floyd shirt and scuffed leather pants with ugly pink socks, a visor across his eyes as he swung his arms every which way. Ringo was almost scared he was going to accidentally smash the TV in or something.

As he flopped onto the couch next to John, dragging his school bag into his lap to begin rummaging into it, the auburn-haired boy scooted a little closer to him and turned to talk to him.

"Are they always like this?" He asked, lips curled up in amusement as his gaze flitted back to watch them play.

"Yeah, 'course. Paul, Jane, George and Mo all get insanely hot-headed over games, that's why we call 'em 'The Competitors'." Ringo chuckled as he continued to fish through his bag - eventually he'd found his baggie of weed and he pulled it out, itching to get a little high. He'd picked it up off Rory that morning; his dealer was a little eccentric and a bit of an arse if he wanted to be, but he was harmless, really. Had decent prices. He didn't get high that often, anyway - only on occasion and with friends, along with vehemently avoiding every other type of drug.

"Ooh, yer hardcore, Rings!" John eyed the bag with a joking wink his way; he felt his stomach lurch and flutter, and he tried to act as if he wasn't affected by it. It had been a long time since he'd really had a crush on someone other than a fleeting attraction, like seeing someone cute across the street - but he wasn't really scared of falling for John, in fact he was willing. They already were getting on pretty well and it had only been a few days.. he was charming, funny, obviously handsome - and probably super smart. What's not to love?

They continued to take turns playing games, though now they were passing along a joint Ringo rolled, albeit some decided not to take a hit. He sunk into the couch and took a long drag of it, his eyes fluttering shut as he waited for the affects to begin to take place.

"Let's get some music on, eh?" Cynthia stood up, moving over to Jane's speaker and booting it up. "Any requests?"

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody!" Pattie called out with a grin.

"At least some people can appreciate the classics." John scoffed jokingly, rolling his eyes.

"What? You some kinda music elitist, huh?" Paul shot back with a cheeky grin.

"Well, all music nowadays is just so meaningless, not what it was like back in the old times!" John took on the voice of an old-fashioned British news reporter, making a stupid face, causing everyone around to laugh.

"I'm a real music fan, I listen to straight up caveman music. Bangin' sticks against rocks, that was the real shit!" Ringo quipped; they all dissolved into chuckles afterwards, John gazing at the azure-eyed boy with an incredibly fond look that made his heart jump erratically in his chest as if it longed to break free.

"I like the cut o' yer jib, matey!" John drawled in a supbar pirate's accent, nudging him with a crooked grin.

"Ugh, don't ever do that again." Ringo giggled (he couldn't seem to stop giggling, and he couldn't tell if it was the weed taking effect or the fact that he found everything John did incredibly cute and funny), taking one last drag of the joint before handing it to the other. John took a long puff before handing it to someone else, not breaking eye contact at all.

"Aye, ye love it." He winked again before getting to his feet. Ringo collapsed into a fit of giggles again, his thoughts beginning to blend together as his movements began to slow; suddenly, the thought of kissing John senseless seemed to arise.

"I-I wanna swim in the pool." Paul announced, eyes already beginning to turn bloodshot as he struggled to his feet, giggling as he swayed a little.

"Yes! Last one in has to clean up tomorrow." Maureen was off already; the raven-haired boy chased after her, stumbling over his own feet and hollering lazily after her "not fair! Headstart..".

"Let's go, John!" Ringo tugged on his new friend's arms, ignoring his feeble protests as they made their way outside, the rest of the group following behind. The temperature had dropped a little, but it wasn't actually as cold as he thought it would be; the sky was murky and clouded, but in his inebriated state, he wasn't really focussing on the stuff around him all that much. Paul was already stripping to his boxers, but while he was trying to undo his pants, George shoved him in. There was a loud, echoing screech that tore through the still air before it was cut off when he hit the water.

"Got what he deserves." Ringo dissolved into laughter again as he stood by the edge of the pool. It was heated, so it wouldn't be very cold, and it had built-in purple-coloured lights, so it had a nice aesthetic feel. Paul eventually resurfaced after two seconds, glaring up at George with a smouldering gaze.

"Yer comin' down here with me, prick!" He immediately darted forward to grab his ankle, and he was successful in dragging his boyfriend into the water, fully clothed, due to him being high. The group watched as George fell in screaming and flailing around, howling with laughter. Ringo slipped off his hoodie and socks, beginning to take off his shirt also in order to get in the pool; a few others followed suit, Maureen making a huge splash that soaked his shins.

"Damnit! These were me good jeans." Ringo groaned.

"A little water won't hurt!" George snickered, immediately sending a large wave - well, as large as he could manage in his state, really - in his direction, making him scramble away with a squeal. He turned to John as he stripped himself of his pants, grinning at the other and tugging on his wrist a little. The auburn-haired boy hadn't moved, standing next to an outdoor chair and fiddling with his hands nervously, still fully dressed.

"Come'ead, John! Join in."

"Um- 'm okay here." He chuckled nervously, gaze flitting over Ringo's body for a second before he turned away, wide-eyed and blushing. What's up with him? Ringo thought to himself hazily, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Mm.. what's up with you? It'll be fun." He tugged half heartedly again on his wrist before letting go, thoroughly disheartened, frown replacing his grin. Did John want to go home?

"I'm fine, don't worry!" John shook his head, flopping down into the chair and smiling at him comfortingly. "I just wanna stay here."

"Okay. Your loss." Ringo shrugged, smiling back at him; he turned away and joined the rest of his friends in the pool. Only him, Paul, George, Maureen, and Cynthia decided to get in it; the others settled around it, chattering to themselves drunkenly, the speaker propped up on a table nearby - Can't Stand Losing You by The Police was playing now, Ringo shutting his eyes contentedly as he listened to Sting serenading him. 

The group swum around for a while longer, just listening to the music and occasionally chasing each other (that was mainly Paul and George) for well into the night. Ringo mainly just floated on his back, staring up at the sky, lost in thought in his inebriated mind. John watched from his spot in the chair, and sometimes Ringo swam up to the edge and they'd joke together for a moment before he'd go back to floating. Paul and George were the first to get out and go inside, having been making out in the corner, then Maureen next to get her stuff to go back home; the azure-eyed boy was thoroughly exhausted by the end of it, and by the time he got out and began to dry off, Paul, George and Linda had passed out on the couch, Cynthia and Pattie gone home, and Jane slowly gathering their rubbish together to clean up tomorrow. 

"See you tomorrow, Jane." Ringo called out to her; the girl looked up, letting out a large yawn and standing up. "I see some people've passed out here." He gestured to the three people on the couches. 

"Yeah, these cunts are on cleaning duty tomorrow morning before school." She snickered. "They're going to love that."

He chuckled, turning back climbing into his clothes - Ringo spotted John standing by the couch, staring at his phone anxiously and biting at his nails. He furrowed his brows in concern. He felt certainly much more sober now that the effects of the weed and alcohol had begun to wear off, and he came up to his friend, towel thrown around his bare shoulders, running a hand through his soaked hair.

"You okay?" His voice came out much softer than he thought it would.

John sighed, shaking his head and holding out his phone for Ringo to see. "Mimi's gonna kill me. I was 'sposed to go home an hour ago or somethin'." He took it from him and saw what was up - six missed calls and several texts from Mimi, who he assumed must've been his aunt. "She's gonna have me head on a pike."

"Hm.. you can come crash at mine if you want, and see her in the mornin'." Ringo suggested with a timid smile, nervous that John would refuse. 

"Would it not be too much trouble?" The other turned to look at him in slight surprise.

"No, no, it's fine! We'll make sure my folks never know." He winked jokingly. 

John chuckled. "Okay, that'd be gear."

"Gear? Where ya from, the 60's?" 

"Groovy, baby!"  
As they talked, they began to gather their things to leave, Ringo finishing getting dressed and throwing his bag over his shoulder. He sent one last fond glance towards his friends before they shut the front door softly after them, shivering at the bitter wind that instantly harassed them.

"Shit, what time is it?" John squinted his eyes against the wind.

"Two in the mornin'." Ringo checked his phone, cringing at the bright light a little.

"Okay, let's be quick." They picked up the pace, making their way to the bus stop in a comfortable silence. Nothing much was said on their trip home. The bus was almost empty except for the occasional junkie or people working nightshift, and they made it to Ringo's without any issue. He could see John was exhausted, constantly yawning and sleepy eyes blinking at him, glassy and unfocussed - he figured he didn't look much different, exhaustion tugging at every limb himself. 

The pair finally reached Ringo's house; he paused at the front doorway, peering through the windows to see if his parents were awake. When he saw that there were no lights on at all, he knew they probably were asleep, and he fumbled to find his house keys. 

"We gotta be quiet." He whispered as he unlocked the front door, peering into the darkness and beginning to slip inside, John following closely behind. 

"You have a dog?" John blinked as he stared into the darkness, grinning excitedly as they shut the door after them. 

"How'd you know..?" Ringo turned to him with a furrow of his brows, but was cut off by a flurry of paw steps and a soft growling, which quickly died away as Charlie came up to them, having recognised Ringo. He smiled down at his dog and patted him, his tail slapping against the wall as he eagerly sniffed John, blinking up at the new person curiously. "A German Shepherd! So adorable. Aren't you?"

"His name's Charlie." Ringo smiled softly as he watched John fawn over his pet, Charlie just as happy to be having all the attention. 

"Awh, Charlie! Aren't you a good boy? Yes you are." He took on that tone of voice that people often used when they talked to pets, which Ringo found kind of amusing, but he was guilty of himself. It was just some weird human instinct. I wonder how he knew that I had a dog before I'd even said anything. Did I mention Charlie before and not remember?

They made their way to Ringo's bedroom as quietly as they could, Charlie following them eagerly; John gazed around curiously at his house, looking as if he was able to see everything around him, despite it being pitch black.

"Are those your parents there?" He gestured to the vague direction of the dresser in the hallway which he knew had family pictures on it, though he couldn't see it since it was so dark.

"What is?" Ringo blinked at him again in confusion. How did he know it was there? Did he have some super vision to see into the darkness or something?

"Oh.. um, nothin'." He seemed to retreat into himself, quickly moving past him and into the bedroom, refusing to look at him. Ringo swallowed nervously. There really is something up with him.. he seems to know or like, see or smell all these things when you usually can't. He's sensitive to loud noises, he has strange teeth, sharp nails... what's with him? 

He quickly shook it away, not really in the mood to ponder and question at the moment; all he could really think about is sleep. Letting out a content sigh, he kicked off his shoes and flopped onto his bed - it was a little small for two people, so he might have to get a mattress from downstairs in the washroom.

"Sorry, th'bed's a little small. Want me ta get a mattress?" Ringo rubbed his face tiredly, blinking up at John wearily. 

"No, no, don't bother. It's okay." John waved him off, tentatively sitting on the bed next to him, the mattress dipping a little under his weight.

"M'kay, see you tomorrow." Ringo rolled over, pulling the blankets up to his chin and letting his eyes fall shut with a small smile; Charlie hopped up onto the bed with them, curling up at their feet as John settled in as well. There was no space to have a gap between them, so their backs brushed up against each other a little, though Ringo was too tired to even think about it, sinking into the familiar darkness of sleep.


	4. ringo is curious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hii hope u guys enjoy this chapter !

Dusty, worn Doc Marten shoes kicked idly at a nearby fallen leaf as they ambled by, ring-adorned hands in hoodie pockets as Ringo gazed at the ground, expression perturbed while he chewed on his bottom lip. He let out a wistful sigh, lifting his head to glance at his two best friends gossiping about something or other next to him. He wasn't even really listening to what George and Paul were rambling about a few metres in front of him, gesturing animatedly, but he felt envious. Envious that they were barely disheartened by John's sudden absence.   
It had been over a week - now the last day of school - since him and the mysterious myopic-eyed boy last talked. And it seemed John had barely even shown up at school, either. The classes they shared together, he was always absent from, and he never saw him arrive either. He had only been there one day so far since the day of the party, but he had been talking urgently with Stuart and looking distressed, then was gone for the rest of the day. He thought they had maybe made progress in their budding friendship, that John liked him as well and he might even join in on the group, but... he might have been wrong. Had he overstepped by offering for him to crash at his place and them sleeping in the same bed? Had he scared the boy off? He fiddled with the rings on his fingers anxiously. 

He thought back to that night. The memories were a little hazy and clouded, but he remembered the majority of what had happened; they got drunk and smoked some weed, swam in the pool, John telling him his aunt was mad because he was an hour late and him offering for John to stay with him, walking to the bus station, sneaking into his house. Everything else about it seemed lost in darkness.   
When he had woken up that morning, John was gone, no evidence of his being there left except for a text he'd gotten - the first ever text from him, in fact - displaying; "sorry had to leave early, got home alright. thanks for letting me crash mate. ill see you later :) john". He'd smiled to himself in relief at the text, and he'd replied: "i'm glad you did! the party was fun,, hope mimi wasn't too upset lmaoo see you at school!" before being left on read.

Now him, Paul and George were leaving school to go and see a movie (The new Avengers movie; Paul and George liked those kinds of movies, though it wasn't Ringo's style). He couldn't get John out of his head; what had happened? Why wasn't he showing up at school anymore? Had he really fucked up and he didn't want to be friends with him at all? Did he feel that badly about Ringo that he was willing to skip school just to avoid him? He had so many questions, but no answers at all. He couldn't help but feel like it's all his fault. Maybe it was. 

"Ringo!" He flinched when a pair of deft fingers clicked in front of his face, making him glare at who had done that. Paul raised an eyebrow back at him, nudging his shoulder before they continued walking, George staring at him in concern. "Jesus, you've been so bloody mopey since the party. What happened?"

"Yeah. John went home with you, right? What happened with you two? He's not been at school, like at all." George crossed his arms. 

"Eh.. just- I dunno. Some of it is vague. I'm worried I.. scared him off. I can't really remember." Ringo ran a hand through his hair, brows knotted in worry. "I don't usually get violent or anythin' when 'm drunk or high, usually just sleepy or giggly. I don't get it. I think it was alright. But is he not at school because of me?"  
His friends fell silent for a few seconds, brooding over the issue, trying to find some solution to it all. Paul eventually spoke up first, looking determined.

"I don't think so. John's a strange guy, plus his mum died recently..." he saw his friend's eyes darken with emotion for a moment, and knew what he was thinking. "I don't think you did anythin'. Don't beat yerself up about it, alright?" He sighed, throwing an arm around his shoulder, smiling down at him. "Let's just get some food and watch the movie. Forget about it. The more you think about it, the worse it'll get in yer mind- 'm sure it's nothin'."

Ringo blinked, somewhat assured as he sent a tentative smile Paul's way.   
"Thanks, mate." 

"See, there'y'are." His friend grinned with a wink before letting go, moving back to George's side, the two sharing a lovesick glance and a brief kiss. Ringo pretended to throw up to get on their nerves, making them all chuckle as they rounded the corner. He'd just taken out his phone, about to check his messages- when he slammed right into someone and dropped it to the footpath, almost joining it on the ground, but the person caught and steadied him; he caught a glimpse of familiar dark, sharp nails before they let go of each other. He quickly snatched his phone off the ground and checked for any cracks before sighing in relief when he saw there wasn't anything but a small scratch. 

"Oh! John." He heard Paul exclaim and he lifted his head to see who it was. His friend had been right; it was John! But there was something.. off.   
The boy's face was more gaunt than usual, and there was a wild, distressed look in his eyes, hair sticking up in all directions as if he hadn't really taken care of it in a while. Something flashed in his gaze for a moment when him and Ringo locked eyes before he fixed it on the ground. 

"Hey. Fancy seein' you guys here, eh?" He chuckled, albeit there was no real happy emotion in his voice. Ringo blinked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly - he didn't take his eyes off of him for even once second. There was definitely something wrong with John. Something had changed in him since the party. 

"How're you? Are you okay?" Ringo blurted, taking a step closer; his hand went to touch his arm, but he thought better of it and shoved it into his hoodie pocket. 

"Oh- 'm fine. It's okay. S.. sorry I haven't been at school. Just some thing's happenin' and all that." John's right hand was twirling a cigarette over and over again in his fingers, and Ringo stared at it for a few moments. 

"Well, we'll look out for ya when you come back, eh?" Paul patted his shoulder, gaze serious; he knew Paul would be able to help John with his situation, since he knew what it was like to lose a mother. Ringo could see that the almond-eyed boy didn't look so good, and he wanted to help any way he could. He couldn't let his new friend begin to get in any worse of a state.. he deserved to be happy. 

"Yeah. Thanks." He nodded, expression giving away nothing. When he glanced towards Ringo again, he saw a strange spark in his eyes again before he looked away. He'd begun to walk off, but the azure-eyed boy quickly picked up the pace to catch up with him, neither George nor Paul following behind. He was glad they didn't; he had something he wanted to say to John, and John alone.

"John! Aye, wait up."

The taller boy froze in his footing and slowly turned to look at him questioningly.  
"Hey, Ringo."

"Um.." He began, chewing on his bottom lip for the thousandth time that day. "I wanted to say that- 'm here for you. Paul and George too. We want to help you any way we can, y'know.. to support." He smiled sympathetically. "Paul lost his mum, too. He knows how you feel."

"Yeah. We talked about that a while ago." John nodded. "Thanks, Ringo. Like.. really. Yer a good person." His expression softened as he let a tiny smile grace his face for a moment. "I'm sorry 've been ghostin' you and all. I'll- I'll tell you one day why, maybe."

"You don't have to. It's okay." Ringo nudged him gently, smiling up at him. "I'll see you later, yeah? We can maybe.. go get a tea. Or coffee, if you like that more."

"Nah, tea's way better." John's smile grew. "And I'd like that. I'll text ya."

"Alright. It's a date." He smirked, growing a little more bold at the fact that he accepted.

"Maybe so." John winked, turning around to continue on his way. "See you then, ditching partner!" He threw over his shoulder before he was around the corner and gone. Ringo watched him go with a stupidly dopey grin on his face, not even noticing his two friends coming up behind him.

"Well, well, well! Looks like someone's happy." George finally spoke again, grinning sneakily and whacking Ringo on the back before they continued their trip to the movie theatre. He was always very quiet and opted not to talk much around new people; he hadn't spoken a word during their entire interaction with John. 

"Yeah, yeah. Non'ya business." Ringo rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face, not even for a second. He was going on a date with John! Of course, he wouldn't pressure a relationship or anything like that - it was just a fun thing for them to do. He just wanted to be there to help him out any way he could. And he was glad John preferred tea; he wasn't such a big fan of coffee himself.

"I bet Ringo asked him out." Paul announced.

"Did not! He has no bloody balls for that." George retorted with a scoff. 

"Hey!" Ringo protested, glaring at his bushy-browed friend. "As a matter of fact, I just asked him to have a tea. And he said yes. That's it!"

"See!" The raven-haired boy crossed his arms. "Just let them go at their own pace."

"Yes, yer honour." George drawled sarcastically. 

"Anyways, both of ya stop yer bickerin'. I'm dyin' for some popcorn." Ringo shushed them as they finally reached the cinema. 

"When is the movie again?" George furrowed his brows, opening up his phone to check the time before they pushed their way through the front doors into the dimly lit front room. The familiar scent of buttery popcorn, chocolate, and dust drifted to Ringo's nose and he smiled a little to himself. The smell of the movie theatre was always so enticing to him.

"Four thirty. In five minutes." Paul answered, thumbing through their tickets.

"Eh, they always have like, half an hour of ads beforehand." Ringo chuckled. 

"I know, right! And it's always either car ads, banks, or just ads for other movies." The dark-eyed boy laughed too as they made their way to the food bar. "God, I could kill for a frozen coke right now."

"I hate the frozen drinks. They always hurt me teeth." Paul's nose wrinkled in slight disgust, and he subconsciously picked at his front teeth.

"I don't get that! You can't bite into ice cream, either, you complain it hurts." George scoffed, crossing his arms.

"It's cold, alright! It stings," Paul protested with a half hearted glare. "you just have super teeth or somethin'." Ringo watched on with amusement, though agreed with Paul silently. People who can bite into ice cream are strange and probably demons, and George certainly one of them. Which one, he couldn't figure out.

"You think my teeth could defeat Thanos?" Said demon flashed his sharp canines.

"'m surprised they're not in the Avengers universe yet." Ringo poked one with his thumb, chuckling when George shoved him away with a playful glare.

"You'd just kill 'em all with yer 'peace and love'." Paul grinned at Ringo.

"They'd die of boredom first!" George cackled.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, you two." The shorter boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "You'd kill 'em with the way you can bicker for a week straight then be sickeningly lovey-dovey the next. Oh- sorry, a week gay."

"It's not my fault George always says dumb shit!" 

"Well, look who's talkin', huh?" The thin boy drawled as he pointed a finger in his boyfriend's face. "You're the king of Bullshit Castle!"

"And you're the Bullshit peasant!" Paul shot back with a shit-eating grin.

"There! You guys just killed all the Avengers and Thanos from your banter, just like I said." Ringo threw up his hands.

They all burst into chuckles at that. Coming up to the counter, they ordered their snacks and munched on them gladly as they made their way to the theatre room. John was stuck in Ringo's mind again. He was willing to help him any way he could. He felt there was a connection between them, that there was something there.. and he would do whatever it took to preserve it. 

-

"See you later, yeah, Rings?"   
Paul turned to his friend, pallid skin washed with an orangey-pink from the setting sun, long shadows stretching across the ground - it reminded Ringo faintly of the party and seeing the shadows spill across Jane's waxed wooden floors - his hand tangled loosely with George's, the gangly boy resting his head on the other's shoulder and smiling at their friend. A pang of envy rose in his chest but he quickly shoved it down. They were walking back from watching the movie, watching people mill about as the people of the night began to emerge. It was Friday after all, and people were probably getting ready to go to the pubs or to party. 

"Yeah. Study sesh on Sunday like usual?" Ringo forced a smile. He knew George and Paul would want their time alone, so he wasn't going to join them as they went back to Paul's place, instead deciding to just go back home. He would just feel like a huge third-wheel and would sit there on his phone awkwardly, trying to find something to do, wishing that he had a partner of some sort.   
He needed to walk Charlie anyway. 

"Hell yeah! Catch you then." George nudged him with a grin, flashing his sharp canines once more before the couple spun around and practically skipped away, giggling and whispering to each other like the affectionate bastards they were. 

Ringo quickly began to make his own way home to avoid seeing any more, pulling his headphones from his pocket and plugging them in; he slipped them into his ears as he scrolled through Spotify, looking for a song that would capture his feelings perfectly as he made his way to the bus stop nearest to the movie theatre. Eventually he decided on It's A Mistake by Men At Work, greeted by eighties synth and guitar melodies as he continued trekking on, watching his shoes scuff against the concrete over and over again. He noticed the strange orange tinge against his worn out Docs that had lost its original shine, though still glinted a little in the light. The clouds above seemed as if they were swarming across the sky in clumps, underbellies stained a soft pink from the sunset - he gazed up at them as he walked, lashes brushing against his cheeks as his beryl eyes stared. 

He was happy for his friends. He really was. They deserved each other; and he could see how much they really cared about one another. It was obvious from the moment he met them, and he was glad that they'd eventually gotten together after realising their feelings. But it still sent a bitter wave of sadness through his chest, leaving a sour taste in his mouth along with the reminder that he was alone. He had lots of friends, yeah, and he was grateful for that - but he had never been in love like they were. He'd dated a few people before, but they had only been fleeting and they hadn't had a proper connection. He was longing for more; he was longing for what George and Paul had. But it always seemed out of reach. 

He wondered about John again as he boarded the bus, weaving through the packed crowd to reach the second floor and sit up at the back, by the window. He rested his head on it, gazing out with an almost inaudible sigh at the passing buildings. Did John feel the same way about him that he did? Was it his fault that he wasn't at school? He thought back to how strange John acted sometimes. Sensitive to almost all noises and smells, strangely sharp eyesight for someone with glasses - seeing in the dark? His eyes changing colour often... sharp nails.. his teeth! He remembered the only time John smiled with his full teeth; how it seemed like all of his teeth were long, every single one sharpened to a concerning point. What did it all mean?   
But he wasn't scared of it. No.. he felt curious, fascinated about this enigma of a person. It seemed like John was an infinitely layered and complicated person, and when you peered back more and more behind the curtain, you find yet even stranger things. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know who John Lennon was in every facet.   
It all depended on if John was willing to let him in. 

He'd squeezed out from his spot a stop before his, squeezing his way back through the crowd - apologising with an embarrassed clench of his teeth when he almost knocked a lady's cup of coffee out of her hand, earning a glare and a disgruntled mutter - and pausing at the doorway. When the bus driver stopped at the stop around the block from his house, he bustled his way off with a small 'thank you' before making his way to it. 

Ringo fumbled with his keys as he stood at the front door, hearing a muffled bark - he smiled to himself, knowing it was Charlie - before he opened it up, squeezing inside the cramped hallway. His dog came rushing up to him, tail wagging all over the place; he patted him and scratched his back, kissing his pet on the forehead in greeting. 

"Hey, Ritchie! Where were you?"   
He looked up and smiled as his mum peered at him from the kitchen doorway, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Sorry, forgot to text. I was with Paul and George, we went to see a movie."  
He grinned apologetically as he continued to pet Charlie. 

"That's okay, love. You hungry or?" 

"No, no. We ate. But thanks." He shook his head, straightening up when he saw his dad exit his parents' bedroom. "Aye, dad."

"Hey, son. How was school?" His dad smiled at him before making his way into the kitchen.

"Eh, the usual. I'll see you guys later." He waved goodbye to them before making his way to his room, Charlie trotting after him.  
He let out a sigh of relief when he entered his bedroom, shutting the door after him and immediately flopping onto his bed; he registered vaguely Charlie hopping up next to him and snuffling his shoulder, tail thumping against the bed. He rolled onto his back and scratched his dogs' chin for a moment before sitting up to take off his shoes. He felt like playing video games on his computer for a bit, maybe rewatch one of his favourite movies later before going to bed. 

After lying in bed for a few minutes, not really thinking about anything, he got up and sat at his desk, listening to Charlie snoring as he opened up his computer, resting his head on his hand as he did so. He was about to play some CS:GO when his phone vibrating in his pocket caught his attention - he pulled it out and furrowed his brows, staring at the text he'd just gotten.

IMESSAGE   
amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
hey ditching partner (; 

He chuckled (yes, he'd not been very surprised himself at the name that John made for himself when he put in his phone number in Ringo's phone) before putting his phone down again, fiddling with his hands nervously. He couldn't reply straightaway, of course - it would make him look like he was waiting around for it the entire time, and he didn't want to make a bad impression. He'd wait around five minutes before he'd reply. I actually didn't think John would text me that fast, if I'm honest.   
To pass the time he began playing his game; eventually he shook himself, scolding his mind that he was being stupid before he opened his phone to reply. 

hii thats me 😌✌️howre you?   
surprised to see you text me this quick 

He shut it off, leg bouncing nervously as he waited for a reply. Standing up, he began to pace in circles, pissed at himself that he was letting it get to him this much. It's only a text, for christ's sake! He sighed, forcing himself to sit back down and be a normal person for once.   
Ringo's phone buzzed again. He looked;

amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
well of course, i couldn't keep away from u this long   
and i'm swell, urself ? 

He grinned, quickly typing out a reply. 

wow, already bringing out the flirting,, im so blushing 😳 im good, me george and paul watched avengers endgame lol but it was boring to me cuz i dont rly like those types of movies

They were now texting instantly, it seemed. 

amazingly handsome and cool dude :   
what kinda movies do u like then? (:

honestly, i love old movies, and sci fi im a big fan of, too ,, like black mirror or 2001 a space odyssey. shawshank redemption, too, thats one of my favourites lmao wbu?

amazingly handsome and cool dude :   
ooh we seem to be more alike than we thought! though count more horror movies, i love horror (: 

Ringo grinned, deciding to open up the window above his desk as he closed his computer, video game abandoned. His heart was racing excitedly and his cheeks flushed. 

ooh, same! i gotta be in a specific mood for it tho. we can watch a movie we both like some time then 😌

amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
haha hell yeah i'd love to 

Ringo paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, trying to think of something to talk about, but just as he was doing so, John texted again.

amazingly handsome and cool dude :   
ah shrjt sorry i gtg byte 

He furrowed his brows for a moment. He didn't seem to have any trouble texting before, and now there was a bunch of misspells. Maybe Mimi was yelling at him? He quickly typed a reply.

oh alright, see you mate! 

He stared at the text. John didn't read it.   
It's nothing. He probably was just told off or told to go stack the dishwasher or something. Turning off his phone, he sat there at his desk, fingers tapping absentmindedly on the wood. For some reason he couldn't get the text out of his mind.. shaking his head, he leant forward to peer out the window. He rested his head on his hand, sighing wistfully. 

"Huh.. full moon tonight."


	5. ringo, paul and george pretend to study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi omg sorry for the delay had a bit of a block djdhdhs also quick explanation! i decided for this that john could only turn into a werewolf when he gets real really angry and on the full moon involuntarily, and his eyes go like the yellowy animal like thing when he's extending his senses and using them, so that's what he's doing when he sees ringo ((: he's not in like werewolf form then it's just his eyes do that lolol anyways enjoy this chapter

The scratch of pen against paper filled the room, accompanying the song playing from Paul's speaker - Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House, in fact - and the click-clack of a keyboard as Ringo, George and Paul continued to type away on their computers, occasionally scribbling tidbits in their workbooks as they did so. The three boys were mainly silent as they worked on their tasks; English essays on the book they'd been assigned to read over the summer holidays, which was 1984 by George Orwell. Ringo considered it a good book, however it grew a bit boring when you were forced to read it to analyse it for school work. The sky outside was a murky greyish white, and Ringo could almost feel the chilly wind that was sweeping tree branches and loose rubbish up in its wake, even though the windows in Paul's room overlooking the street were closed.  
Sunday was their study day, usually; since George and Ringo often procrastinated their work until the last minute, though Paul was on top of things for the most part. Ringo's laptop was left neglected on Paul's desk where he was sitting at, George and Paul curled up together on his bed while they worked; the azure-eyed boy had taken to twirling the pen he'd borrowed off George over and over again between his fingers, staring blankly at the desk, unable to focus on his work on account of his thoughts being too occupied by a certain boy. 

"Havin' trouble focussing, eh?" 

He lifted his head to meet George's eyes - of course he would notice something was off. He was always the most perceptive of them all. He managed a weak smile and shook his head a little.

"Just... well, John cancelled on me yesterday when were gonna have a date. It's okay, it's not his fault.. he said family stuff had occurred and that its also why he stopped abruptly talking on Friday." Ringo turned back to his laptop and continued with the sentence he'd been writing, flipping back to his copy of the book to check something before continuing to type. 

"Really?" Paul sat up, his attention being pulled from his work by his friend's words, brows furrowing. "Huh." 

"I'm not bitter or anythin', I was just excited, is all." He shrugged.

"Well, hopefully you guys can go on one next week." George suggested, flicking a rubber in Ringo's direction - the azure-eyed boy was hit with it on the back of his head and chuckled before tossing it back in their direction. He was already beginning to give up on trying to study. His thoughts were much too occupied with thoughts of John, and he wasn't inclined to get it done that quickly as it wouldn't be due for another week or two. 

He let out a long sigh, falling back in his seat and letting his head fall back to stare up at the ceiling, boredom tugging on him like an insistent child pulling on the end of a sleeve for attention. Still twirling his pen in his fingers, he let his head roll to the side and focussed his gaze on his two friends; George and Paul were lying on their stomachs as they worked next to each other, the former now resting his head on the latter's shoulder as his eyes began to flutter shut, looking bored and tired. 

"Why don't we take a break for a bit, lads? I can't bloody concentrate." Ringo suggested, swinging around in the swivel chair to fully face the pair, mouth gaping open in a yawn. George was all too eager to get up, bending down to pick up Paul's guitar resting against the wall next to the bed before hopping back down, crossing his legs as he began to fiddle with it.

"Careful! One of the strings is dodgy." Paul protested, rolling onto his side and resting his head on his hand as he watched his boyfriend with fond eyes. 

"I ain't gonna do anythin'!" George rolled his eyes with a smirk, plucking the strings before beginning to adjust one that was out of tune. "Your fault for not treatin' yer guitar well." 

"Hey! I treat me guitar just fine." Paul shot back, eyebrows furrowing.

"Well, if you did, one of the strings wouldn't be frayed." 

"It's not my fault, for fucks' sake!" 

Ringo watched them bicker with a chuckle, shaking his head at their usual antics. They could argue with each other like nothing else, but at the same time be the most sickly sweet he'd ever seen. He turned back to the desk, tapping his pen against the wood with a chew of his bottom lip. His thoughts drifting back to John again. I hope his family issues are okay. 

"Hey, lads, everything okay?" He lifted his head to see Paul's father peer into their room, opening the slightly ajar door wider as he leant against the doorframe. Ringo smiled a little. Jim was a bit of a hard arse sometimes, but he liked him. 

"Yes, fine, da'." Paul rolled his eyes, glancing up at Jim from where he laid on the bed. He looked mildly disgruntled.

"You guys want any food, or?" He tilted his head questioningly; Ringo noticed his brother Mike making his way up the stairs and pausing beside his dad.

"We can make our own, 's fine." 

"Yeah, da', we can make our own. 'S fine." Mike cut in, mocking his brother's words with a mischievous smile, letting out a snort when he failed to dodge the crumpled piece of paper thrown at him - he ambled away, laughter echoing throughout the hallway as he went.

"Behave, Mike." Jim called after him with a defeated sigh. "Alright, see you boys." They called faint goodbyes after his retreating figure, left alone once again.  
Ringo gently shut his laptop closed, opting to gaze out the window, thoughts still whirling in his mind. He wished he wouldn't think about it so much, but he couldn't seem to help it; he sighed, shaking his head and getting to his feet. He could feel George's stare piercing the side of his head, and he sent a somewhat half-hearted smile his way. There was no point in stressing out about it.

"You guys wanna keep watching The Witcher from where we were?" Paul gestured to his laptop, and Ringo eagerly joined his friends on the bed next to them as he opened up Netflix, George getting up to pull the curtains shut and grab their leftover potato chips from the night before. They all settled in comfortable positions and continued watching their show, homework forgotten, John still lingering in one particular mind. 

-

"I'm still standin'- yeah, yeah, yeah..." 

The crunch of shoes thudding against gravel echoed through the dense park, a softer patter of paws accompanying, along with the crisp breeze rattling tree branches that loomed overhead; they casted long shadows across the grass and gravel paths of the park where Ringo often took Charlie walking due to the setting sun. He was wearing his Docs again, with worn blue denim jeans that had several paint stains and tears, along with one of his favourite bright pink hoodies and his fingerless gloves. I'm Still Standing by Elton John was serenading one of his ears through his headphones, though he had kept the other one free of it, cause he preferred to be more on alert when he was walking alone as it was nearing nighttime. In one hand he clutched his phone, the other holding onto Charlie's leash.  
He watched his dog now - the German Shepherd was trotting excitedly a few metres ahead of him - sniffing every bush and tree trunk, occasionally pissing on it if he felt it was needed - on his own accord since he usually didn't need to be attached to a leash, being able to walk close to Ringo without bolting off. He smiled fondly to himself at the sight. He didn't understand people who lived without pets; they were just so wonderful. 

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, still humming the tune of the song softly as he walked, gazing around at the familiar park that was only a few streets from his place and just around the corner from the fish and chip shop. After him, Paul and George watched a few episodes of The Witcher, they'd chatted for a bit and Ringo made his way home, greeting his parents only briefly before taking Charlie outside for his walk. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts of John, though not about the fact that he cancelled on him - just him in general. He'd never really grown this infatuated with someone this quickly, and it was a little disconcerting. He'd had fleeting attractions to people before, but this was on a different level. John was occupying his thoughts almost the entire day, causing his stomach to flutter stupidly and his heart to jump erratically in his chest. He wanted to know more about John. Everything about him. Movies he liked, favourite foods, small things that irritated him to no end.. Ringo was a little shocked at how quickly he'd fallen for the mysterious, auburn-haired boy with sensitive ears and an aura of hidden secrets and intrigue. He wondered whether John felt the same about him. It had been a long time since he'd dated somebody, and he had never been in a serious relationship before; not that he thought maybe he'd be in a serious relationship with John in particular, but, the thought of that didn't bother him much. He let out a despondent sigh. Fucking hell, you're getting in such a ways over him already and you've only known him a week or two! He scolded himself, rubbing his eyes with a grimace. I need to just let it go for a bit. Opening his eyes, he just focussed on the music. 

Love Will Tear Us Apart was now playing, and he hummed along to the tune, twirling Charlie's leash in his hands as he ambled along. He'd just been about to open his phone when a loud, powerful bark tore him from his movements and caused him to snap his eyes towards his dog. Charlie had frozen at a clump of ferns and bushes that circled a thick, ancient tree, barking incessantly at it; Ringo hurried over, concern washing over him - was he maybe just scenting another dog that was passing by? 

"Hey, boy, what's wrong?" He knelt down next to his dog, gently gripping his neck as he tried to calm him. It didn't seem to work all that much, since a few seconds later a dry twig cracked as if someone had stood on it, echoing throughout the park. Glancing up, he stared into the darkness that Charlie seemed so focussed on, heart beat picking up speed as he suddenly felt a prickling across his skin as if he was being watched. What was it? He thought with trepidation; and it seemed his question was answered. 

Those glowing citrine-yellow eyes he'd seen a while before appeared from around the tree trunk, a glimpse of clawed hands visible as it gripped onto the bark. Ringo froze, eyes widening and mouth falling open a little, fear striking a steak into his heart as if he were a vampire. The eyes were unblinking, wide and staring, shaped like an animals - so intense, as if they were looking right into his soul and unveiling his deepest desires for them, and them alone.   
Charlie was barking even more viciously now, sharp teeth bared and saliva dripping from his jaws, now standing positioned in front of Ringo, pressed up against his owner protectively. He suddenly remembered the news report he'd seen before - animals being killed and strewn around, people's pets being a lot of them. Was this the creature that had been killing them? I'm not staying to find out. He thought determinedly. 

"C'mon, Charlie-" He started, voice quivering as he gripped onto his dog and hastily attached his leash back to his collar, tugging him away as quickly as he could as he practically bolted out of there, not looking back once. Charlie continued to bark after it, trying to persist in going back to it, but eventually calmed down when they had left the park, back in the streets and on their way home. His heart was racing pathetically fast in his chest, palms sweaty as he clutched his phone and Charlie's leash, all muscles tensed as if ready for an attack. 

That's the second time I've seen those strange... eyes. Do they belong to a dog of some kind? Some other animal? It might be the creature that's been reportedly killing these smaller animals. I don't understand. He fretted over what had happened the entire way home, Charlie seemingly normal though was glancing around more than he usually did - Ringo fumbled with his house keys as he stood at the front door, eventually unlocking and making his way inside, detaching Charlie's leash as he went. He unknowingly let out a sigh of relief when he shut the door after him, leaning against the wood for a second before running a hand across his face, feeling thoroughly spooked.

"Ritchie? You okay?"   
He lifted his gaze to see his mother making her way through the kitchen archway, pausing in front of him with concern alight in her gaze. "You seem rattled."

"Oh.." Ringo began, licking his lips. He made his way past her and into the kitchen, opening up the fridge to begin rummaging for Charlie's food to feed him. "I just-" for some reason, this tiny voice inside him was screaming at him not to tell them what he'd seen. So he didn't. "-never mind, really." 

"It doesn't seem like 'never mind'. What happened?" Elsie placed her hands on her hips, head tilted to the side questioningly. He didn't glance at her, placing Charlie's bowl on the bench as he began to make up his dinner. His dog sat by his feet, tail wagging excitedly as he watched him make his food, obviously eager to eat it.

"No, it was nothin', honest. Just saw a strange dude as I was walkin' home." He chuckled, shrugging as nonchalantly as he could in his thoroughly startled state. 

His mother seemed to buy his lie. "Alright. You want to have dinner? I made risotto, there's leftovers you can hear up in the fridge." 

"No, no. 'm not hungry. Thanks, though, ma'." He sent a warm smile her way before placing Charlie's bowl on the floor, watching him dig into his food eagerly. 

"Rich! How was walking Charlie?" His father called from the couch in the lounge room, head tilted to look at Ringo with a half smile; he made his way to the couch and flopped down beside his dad with a sigh.

"Fine, fine. What you watchin'?" He gestured to the TV. 

"Oh, the news." Richard crossed one leg over the other, gazing at it concerned. "Did you hear about the killings of lots of small animals that's been happening lately? I was worried about Charlie, since a lot of them have been pets, they warn to be more careful with them at night and that." 

Ringo sighed, wishing that he'd been watching anything but that. 

"Yeah, heard of it. Scary." 

"It is." His dad nodded, resting his chin on his hand for a few moments before picking up the remote to change the channel. "Anyway, you gonna have dinner?" 

Ringo was glad of the subject change.   
"No, I told ma' 'm not hungry."

"Alright. You and Paul and George study good and hard?" He joked a little, gently punching his son's shoulder - Ringo chuckled, pushing him away with a roll of his eyes.

"As good as we can." 

"I'm just playin' with you, Ritchie. Just as long as you're not pushin' yourself too hard." He patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Now, me and your mum are gonna watch a movie together, are you going to join or no?"

Ringo shook his head, getting to his feet. "Nah, I'm just gonna chill in me room. See ya, dad." He waved before making his way around the couch and out of the lounge room.

"Bye," 

With that, he trekked through the hallway to his room, opening up the door and shutting it after him softly; he let out a groan, exhaustion tugging at his limbs as he let himself fall onto his bed face-first, burying his head in his pillow. He fumbled through his pockets for his phone and pulled it out. Rolling onto his side, he opened it up to find a few notifications from ' THE GAYS except cyn, pat and mo', the friendship group's group chat - but he felt too tired to bother reading them, instead just letting his phone fall onto his mattress beside his face, eyes falling shut.   
That was the second time he'd had that strange encounter with the eyes.. was he really coming across the creature that had been killing those animals, or was it something else entirely? Those hands he'd seen.. they'd been human hands. But they weren't entirely human. They had sharp, dark fingernails, not like fake nails or painted - they were sharp and thick, more like claws than anything, and the hand was quite hairy. In fact, they looked strangely familiar. But.. no. He shook his head. I must be just going crazy, he thought with a faint chuckle, though it had no real humour in it. It didn't matter. He didn't need to look into it further; it was just probably a dog or something, nothing more than that. But the thought still lingered on his mind..

What was that thing?   
He felt an urge to maybe do some research to try and find out - it had to be something more. He knew the curiosity would bombard him for weeks on end if he did nothing about it, and a little research wouldn't harm anyone. Right? Sitting back up, he sat down at his desk and opened up his laptop, the bright light illuminating his face.   
With that, he got to work.


	6. ringo researches and noticed a cut on john's cheek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guys i aM SO JHDFJDJK sorry for the longass delay, all this stuff happened and ive been in a bad mental place lately lol. all good tho , writing usually makes me feel better and i have a lot of motivation to really work on my fics :') anyways enjoy this chapter !!

"What's got you lookin' like the result of a frat party?" 

An annoyed huff was expelled into the chilly air, Ringo crossing his arms over his chest. Trust Paul to ask a question like that. He didn't reply for a few seconds, instead just staring grumpily at the ground, one hand clutching his tea that he'd brought from home and was now gratefully sipping it on his way to school, feet dragging against the concrete footpath outside the gates. 

"I've been researchin'."

George let out a beguiled chuckle as they pushed through the front doors into the school building. They had no idea what he'd been doing, and probably though he'd gone a bit nuts, since he had only had one hour of restless sleep before he had to get ready for school after delving into a rabbit hole of researching that.. thing that he saw. He tried all sorts of things; animals with yellow eyes - bright yellow eyes - animals in the UK with yellow eyes - wolves with yellow eyes - and eventually he came across werewolves. Obviously it was all bullshit, but he felt somewhat intrigued to the idea that what he'd seen was a werewolf. So eventually he read and googled all about werewolves for the rest of that night, on every possible site and Wikipedia page about them. It terrified him a little that John seemed to fit every possible description, but he told himself he was being stupid. It just wasn't true. Where was the science research to back it up? None. They weren't real. But.. those eyes still lingered. Wolves weren't in the UK; they went extinct hundreds of years ago there. What other animal could it have been? Not an owl. They had rounded eyes, not the dog-cat like shape of the ones he'd seen - and theirs didn't fucking glow, either. It was driving him insane. Was he just imagining shit? 

"Researchin' on what? Hopefully 'how to stop being so grumpy.'" His raven-haired friend eyed him curiously, and he was glared at for the joke.

"On what I'd seen. Remember I told you about those eyes?" he turned to his friends - both George and Paul rolled their eyes - "Well, I saw them again while I was walkin' Charlie. I had to try and find out what I was seein'."

"Are you sure you just weren't.. ya know?" George gestured vaguely.

"I know what I saw, alright?" Ringo retorted. "And I couldn't find anythin', anyway. But eventually.. I came across werewolves."

"Okay, now yer startin' to scare me-" Paul began, but Ringo cut him off, resolute on continuing.

"I know it's crazy. I'm not sayin' that what I saw was a werewolf, anyroad. I just was curious, I guess. They do apparently have bright, glowing yellow eyes like I saw - but I don't really think it was a werewolf. I dunno.. I just felt drawn to it." He shrugged. "It was probably just someone's dog, and I mistook it for somethin' bigger than it was." He had a deep-set feeling that he didn't quite believe what he was saying, but he tried to keep it from his thoughts. He couldn't start going off of the deep end after some weird stuff he saw.

"Right. Just don't turn into one of those crazies that think aliens built the pyramids in Egypt, okay?" Paul grinned at him jokingly, resting a hand on his shoulder. 

"Whatever."

Ringo began to fiddle with the lock on his locker with one hand, trying to hold his tea in the other, when someone came up to him.

"Aye, Ringo."

He turned to see who it was, and let a pleased smile draw across his face when he was greeted with the sight of John, leaning against the locker next to him, seemingly attempting to be nonchalant but looking a bit troubled. Ringo's brows furrowed in concern, and his hand dropped from where it had been doing his lock, distracted.

"Hey, John. I-" His mouth hung slightly parted when his gaze zeroed in on John's cheek. Two thin cuts snaked it way across it, from the edge of his aquiline nose bridge to under his eye, freshly healed. It seemed he was trying to cover it up, the collar of his jacket pulled up to hide it, but Ringo had spotted it anyway. It wasn't exactly hard to miss. "Are you okay? How did you get those cuts?" His hand almost subconsciously went to touch it, but he stopped himself in time and made it look as if he was going to itch a scratch on the back of his neck.

John's eyes flickered back and forth in alarm, but he forced himself to relax, just shrugging.

"I just fell over last night on my way to the crapper. I hit me cheek on the corner of a side table."

Ringo gazed at him with eyes that bored into his. He knew he was lying. John knew he knew he was lying, too. Two cuts, exactly the same length, almost across his entire cheek - from hitting the corner of a table? Yeah, right. And Donald Trump was a lovely saint.  
John seemed about to speak, but he shut his mouth when Paul and George came up to them.

"Ah, hey, John. You found the conspirator. Ya know, Ringo's gone a bit crazy, here." George grinned slyly, and Ringo's head swung around in his friend's direction of his own accord, staring him down with a clenched jaw and wide eyes that screamed 'say anything and you're dead meat.'

"Yeah, I heard you guys, actually." John turned to the azure-eyed boy with a smirk. "Researchin' werewolves? Interesting!" 

Ringo chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly, gaze darting to John's fingers, who were toying with a loose string anxiously, before making eye contact with him again - the younger boy shied away from it and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to meet his gaze fully. He seemed anxious over.. something, at least. Why is he, though? I guess cause of the scratch thing, Ringo figured.

"It seems like I'll be the butt of your guys' jokes for today."

"Heheh. You said butt." George giggled.

"I'm sorry, are you five?" Ringo chortled.

"Yeah." 

They all laughed at that, and they calmed down as a few other people came up to them. Linda, Maureen, Pattie, Jane and Cynthia, in fact. Now the gang was all present. 

"What are you guys laughing about?" Maureen raised her eyebrows, looking curious.

"Oh, just how George is five years old, apparently." John rested his arm on the lanky boys' head, laughing when the boy in question shoved him off with a playful glare.

"What, you guys didn't know that?" Cynthia chuckled. "I swear he shat his pants that one time we had a party at my place."

"Ugh, can we not discuss my failures in the fuckin' hallway?" George groaned as the group began to make their way through the hallways, weaving around the other kids all around them and trying to avoid being separated. Ringo saw Maureen's eyes train on him out of the corner of his eye, and he pretended to be extremely interested in his rapidly cooling tea in order to avoid them.

"You okay Ringo? You seem pretty out of it." She questioned, resting a hand on his shoulder; he startled a little at the touch, but schooled his expression and sent her a tight smile.

"Fine, fine."

"He's been researchin' werewolves. I reckon he's gone full bonkers." Paul immediately spilled his secret, and Ringo sent him a frustrated glare in return; his friends dissolved into chuckles at that. He just rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the way his cheeks grew hot. 

"Ringo's becoming a master conspiracy theorist!" Linda teased. He ran a hand down his face.

"Leave me alone, for god's sake! I was just curious. 's not like I believe in that stuff anyroad." He chuckled embarrassedly.   
His gaze automatically darted to John, and he noticed his jaw was clenched, gaze determinedly fixed on his phone in his hand, where his slightly shaky fingers was scrolling through something. Ringo felt a pang of curiosity shoot through him - why does he look scared, almost? He quickly shook his head, scolding himself under his breath. It's not your business, Ringo. Just let him be.

His friends continued to tease and make fun of him for the rest of the trip to their first classes of the day, but he didn't pay any mind to them; he seemed to have eyes only for John. They exchanged a somewhat awkward farewell as they went to separate classes, and the tiny, almost shy smile that the auburn-haired boy gave him was burned into his eyelids, visible every time he let them fall shut. He couldn't get the scar across his cheek out of his mind, either. What had the cause really been for that? Ringo tried to will himself into believing what John had told him - tripping and cutting his cheek on the edge of a table or something - but his rational mind told him that there was no way the scars would be that long, let alone there being another one, right below it and at almost the same length. It wasn't just a curiosity to know what it had really been, anymore - he was genuinely worried for the boy, wanting to know what had happened to him, whether it was someone or something that did it to him... he felt this strange urge to protect him, or to at least help him out. It wasn't really strange, he told himself. He did consider himself to be friends with John, or something along the line of friends. He did genuinely care about him, and he wanted him to be okay. That wasn't weird!   
But he didn't want to broach the subject yet. John was going through a lot of things already, and he didn't want to be intrusive when the boy clearly didn't want to talk about it. In the end, it wasn't his business to know the true origin of it, and he would be there to support him in case he ever wanted to talk about it. That's all. 

Ringo grimaced, lip curled slightly in disgust as he eyed the carton of chocolate milk he'd picked up, the expiration date clearly having been long gone, the pungent, acrid smell of curdled milk invading his nose like Germany invading Poland in WW2. Instead of placing it back in the display fridge with all the other drinks that the school cafeteria offered, he tossed it in the nearby rubbish bin, muttering a 'gross' under his breath.

"Why do they think it's okay to sell milk that expired a whole bloody month ago?!" Ringo exclaimed incredulously to George, who was next to him, already biting into the cheese toastie Paul had bought for him. 

"I dunno. I don't think lunch lady O'Dell has morals." He drawled through his mouthful of food. Ringo cringed when a crumb of bread flew from his best friend's mouth and landed on his shoulder; he brushed it away as if it was embers from a fire that was going to set him alight. 

"After they tried to sell those mystery meatloaves that were shaped into stars and hearts and shit, I think I lost faith in humanity." He snorted.

Eventually the sapphire-eyed boy decided against getting any food, following George through the rows of tables to the one second to the wall, where Paul, Cynthia, and Jane were already waiting for them. He figured the rest of their group were probably off doing their own things, but the absence of John unsettled him a little. He took his seat next to Jane, chewing his nails for a moment, before deciding to ask them where he'd gone.

"D'you guys know where John is?" 

"No, not really.. just saw him this morning." Cynthia shrugged. "He often skips lunch and goes record shopping or to the chippy." 

"Record shoppin'? What is this, the 70's?" Paul chortled.

"Shut it. Records are cool. I try to collect them meself." Ringo glared at him playfully.

"Whatever, old man." He raised his hands, rolling his eyes, though his eyes sparkled with amusement. The large-nosed boy then fished through his pockets for his phone, opening it up and nervously opening up him and John's text conversation. He felt a little anxious at what he was doing, but decided he just wanted to see where he was.

_hey john, where are you?_

He shut his phone off, not wanting to be clingy and constantly be waiting for a response - but it seemed he didn't need to wait for all that long, anyway, since his phone buzzed soon after he'd texted. He quickly went to read it, not without chuckling a little to himself at John's name.

_amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
at the chippy like, 5 mins from school. i was thinking of going t the record shop, wanna come? since we were supposed to go on that date, hehe_

He grinned, feeling an odd sense of relief to see him offer him to come.

_forgot about that. shit!  
but yeah, sure thing. be there in 10_

_amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
this will make up for it  
catch u there dp ;)_

Ringo furrowed his brows, confused.

_dp?_

_amazingly handsome and cool dude :  
ditching partner  
i just was 2 lazy 2 type it fully lmao_

He chuckled, remembering the nickname; he ignored his friend's curious gazes training on him the moment he did so, not willing to put up with their prying and teasing.

_HAHA ok dp. see you then_

With that, he shut off his phone and got to his feet, feeling his stomach surge with butterflies at the fact that he was going to see John, and hang out with just him - outside of school - for the first time. God, I am so smitten already, he thought with a wince.

"What's got that smile on yer face, huh? You textin' John?" Paul poked him from across the table, eyes sparkling with mischief, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

"Maybe. 's none of yer business, anyroad. I'm goin' to meet up with him, see you guys later." 

"Ooh! Have fun!" Jane grinned at him.

"Use a condom!" George called as he began to make his way out of the cafeteria; Ringo sent him a well-deserved middle finger before pushing through the doors into the hallway. 

With a fluttering heart and a head full of thoughts, he left the school to meet up with John.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw sorry this chapter is shorter than usual i just wanted to save the scene where ringo and john meet up for the next chapter so i can make it super long :)) hope u enjoyed this one anyway


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